I Dare You!
by LitLover 101
Summary: Ch. 12 Edited Final Story in the Mystic Falls Dare Club Series. A decade after I met my best friend, Damon, and my true love, Caroline, we find ourselves engaging in dangerous behavior fueled by hormones, humor and a love of our dare club.
1. Chapter 1

Final Story in the Dare Club Series. A decade after I met my best friend, Damon, and my true love, Caroline, we find ourselves engaging in dangerous behavior: fueled by hormones, humor and a love of our dare club.

**WARNING: If you have not read The Mystic Falls Dare Club or Dare Me; you might be confused. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The **__**Vampire **__**Diaries**_**. That would be Warner Brothers, CW, etc.**

**Hello, my lovely readers. Welcome to the beginning of the end of this series. I really hope you enjoy this last tale. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: Dare Me Later

**_2056: _**

The last time I stood in this spot; there was an elementary school. Just two feet from here was the coat room where I met my best friend, Damon Salvatore. I don't know if he's okay. We lost touch a couple of years ago. The earth had begun to warm and people began to wonder why people like me, my wife, Caroline, and a select group of my friends did not seem to fall ill, like others did; they wanted to know our secret. They wanted a cure for all of the monstrous things that burned under the sun's touch. We couldn't help them. And we couldn't stay together.

But today… Today I'd sent out an invitation for one, last dare. I hoped all of my friends would come to meet me. Funny. It might be the end of the world, not just the Dare Club. And I, Klaus Mikaelson, wanted us to go out with a bang. And, hell, we might even find a way to end catastrophe. Or not. At least we had each other. For now.

_**2006: **_

"Ya ready for tomorrow?" Damon Salvatore inquired. He laid on his bed. His arms were crossed behind his head and he looked completely relaxed. You might even think he was sleeping. But I knew he was plotting our last two years of high school. Last years of "childhood."

"Hmm," I groaned, I kept my eyes on the ceiling. We'd talked about painting the room. It hadn't seen an update since we'd met. Damon asked his father for a fancy, tech-friendly room. However. Giuseppe Salvatore refused on the grounds that the boarding school's main renovations involved the upkeep of the newcomers. "There's always next year."

"Caroline?" Damon nudged Caroline with his foot.

"Ew! Get that off my shoulder!" Caroline brushed Damon's foot off her shoulder and stuck her toes under his nose.

Damon let out a snort of laughter before shoving my girlfriend's foot under my own nose. "Here, Nik, you might like this. Foreplay?"

Caroline sat up on her elbows and shook her head at us. "Gross, Damon."

Damon shrugged. "Each to their own. You think Lena's come home yet?"

I rolled onto my side, taking hold of Caroline's ankle and rubbing it while looking at Damon. His brows had come together and his lips pursed in a comical manner. "You worried she met someone else?"

"Of course she met someone else!" Caroline cut in with a scoff. "His name is François and they're going to have a spring wedding."

"I thought that was you and Nik," Damon retorted. He sat up and leaned back against his headboard. His eyes flicked to his cell phone. No calls. He didn't say anything but I'd caught him checking his phone so many times that summer that I threatened to call AT&T and cancel his plan.

"Whatever," Damon grunted. He glanced at us. "Why aren't you two at Nik's?"

"Cause you asked us to be here?" Caroline glanced at me, eyebrows rising and her words coming out very, very slowly. "You do remember that, don't you?"

Damon nodded. "Sure. Doesn't mean you had to cancel whatever sad-ass rom-com-ish plans you had to babysit your sad-sack friend. Go! Be free! Let the night move you!" He waved for us to go.

Caroline and I simply stared at Damon. "Fine. Stay." Damon folded his arms over his chest. "Don't say I didn't warn ya that I snore." He slid back down and pretended to snore.

I grinned and smacked him on the chest. Damon let out a loud cough and rubbed his chest. "Ouch!"

"Come on, Damon," Caroline cried. "It's a sleepover. Probably the last one we'll be able to have before my mother realizes I'm sleeping with my teenage boyfriends." She let out a laugh when Damon rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Dare you to tell your mom about that one!" Damon crowed.

"Noooo!" Caroline cried. She grabbed me by the leg and tugged me to her until my back met her chest and she wrapped both arms around me from behind. "I dare you to make Damon stop being so mean to me!" she whispered in my ear.

"Sorry, Damon. A man must do what a man must do to defend his lady's honor." I took hold of Damon's lower leg and flipped him off the bed before I threw myself onto the floor and we began to wrestle.

It only took three minutes before Damon's door flew open and Giuseppe came into the room. "What in the hell is going on in here?" He demanded. His eyes went from me in a headlock to Caroline in her flannel PJs which she never wore anytime except for when she had the flu and when she was part of a co-ed sleepover party. "Caroline Elizabeth Forbes, do you mind explaining to me what you are doing in my son's bed?"

"Um?" Caroline glanced around the room. Then her eyes went wide and she let out a groan. Her hands went to her face. "I'm sleepwalking? Again! The doctor said I'd grow out of it!"

"You are all too old to be sleeping in the same bed!" Giuseppe told us, his arms folding over his chest. "Young lady, I'm calling your mother."

"Please, don't!" Caroline cried. "I'm supposed to be at Bonnie's! My bike is outside. I'll just ride over there! Promise!" Caroline went over to Damon's dad and kneeled down in front of him and pressed her palms together. "Please? My mother will never let me do anything, ever again; if she finds out! And tomorrow is the first day of high school! I won't be able to go to prom! Or homecoming! Or be part of Miss Mystic! Or anything! Oh, please, be kind and don't tell my Mom!" Real tears had begun to run down her cheeks.

"Alright. I won't tell. But you make sure you get to Shelia Bennett's. I will call and make sure you arrived safely." Giuseppe folded his arms over his chest.

"Yes, sir. Miss Shelia is away at a conference but Bonnie will let you know when I get there. Promise." Caroline wiped away tears as she hurriedly placed her things in her bag and made her way past him and out the door.

Once Caroline was gone, Giuseppe turned on us. "I have enough worries involving the school. I do not have time to deal with your antics. Keep things to a minimum boys. I do not want any more calls from the Sheriff's department this year."

"Yes, Father," Damon nodded and Giuseppe closed the door behind him.

Once the door was closed, I let out a quiet laugh and we headed for the window. Caroline stood outside. She peered up at us and cupped her hands to her mouth. "All clear?"

"Yup," I called back. "Be down in five seconds."

Damon stayed at the window as I made my way out and into the hallway. My feet led me past Giuseppe's room. I paused to make sure he had not decided to add to his lecture. Nothing. Smiling, I continued my way down the hallway and to the first floor. I'd almost made it to the door when I heard a quiet cough in the darkness.

"Whose there?" I called out.

A light came on in the Great Room. It illuminated Enzo St. John. He held a book and a tumbler of something that I figured was not ginger ale. "Hello, Nik. Going out for a late night stroll?" he asked me.

"Reading in the dark? Gained night vision?" I inquired, leaning against the doorframe.

Enzo grinned at me. "I believe we're both up to no good."

"I came down to get a glass of water," I replied.

"She is a pretty little glass, isn't she?" Enzo nodded in the direction of the front door.

Frowning, I shook my head. "No idea what you're talking about, mate."

"I think you do. Too bad that your father did not decide to make this school co-educational, yet. Maybe Caroline would fancy going to the posh school with the charming set of young males instead of that crumbling heap with the townies." Enzo did like to bait me. Damon said it was because he wanted us to be friends and I always kept Enzo at arm's length. I just didn't like how he looked at Caroline.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Lots to do this school year. Do say 'Hello, love,' for me, won't you?" Enzo shoved his tumbler into my chest and I gritted my teeth as he headed for the stairs, humming on his way up.

If only I could send Enzo back to Salem. Perhaps Bonnie could help with that. A thought for another day. I needed to fetch Caroline from the summer's balmy heat.

Hurrying to the front door, I whipped it open. Caroline glared at me and pushed her way past me. "What took you so long?" she demanded. "It's too hot out there and I think I started sweating." She took a sleeve and sniffed at it, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

I moved closer and sniffed at her neck. "Nothing. I moved down to her belly. "Nothing." Moving downward, I picked up one of her bare feet. "Nothing. I don't detect a bad smell coming from any part of you, darling," I declared.

"Such a charmer," Caroline said. She looped her arms around my neck. "I really do have to go to Bonnie's before daylight." She reminded me.

"I know. In the meantime we have the rest of the night to plot and to plan the next year's dares."

"We do," Caroline said. She took my arm and I escorted her back up the stairs. "I was thinking about something to do with the school's pool for the first group dare of the year." Her eyes were glowing as she spoke and I felt excited for this new year and for how things would go for us now that we would both be attending Mystic Falls High School. The possibilities felt endless.

~0~

The next day the sun shown down on us and Damon drove his Camaro—the one he'd saved his allowance money for, the one he'd moved lawns and worked on other people's chores for two years before he could afford and still had to have his father co-sign on—through the streets of Mystic Falls. "It's Junior Year!" Damon shouted to some poor woman walking her labor-doodle.

I simply waved, shoving my sunglasses up my nose. My eyes widened and I jerked my sunglasses off as a blonde girl walked to the end of a sidewalk. She wore a sundress and a smile that was built to break hearts.

"Stop the car!" I shouted. Damon pumped the brakes and I leapt out of the side of the car and made a mad dash toward the girl. Stopping in front of her, I dropped to one knee. "Whatever foolish male you've been spending your days and night with, tell him to go. Agree to be mine for the rest of our lives or my heart will shatter and I will have to plunge myself off the side of Wickery Bridge."

"Hi, Nik," Caroline replied with a giggle. "You like my new dress?"

"Yes!" I proclaimed, kissing the back of her hand and pushing myself to my feet. Cupping her face, I looked into her eyes before kissing her. She slid her hands up my chest and into my hair.

"Hey, horny love birds! Get in the car! We're going to be late!" Damon shouted at us. "That means you, too, Bon Bon. Get off the phone with your little mystery boy toy and get your butt in my backseat."

"Ew!" Bonnie's nose wrinkled and she rolled her eyes. Slipping her phone into the pocket of her jeans, she marched over to the car and climbed into the back. I helped Caroline into the seat next to Bonnie's and sat down beside Damon.

"Looking forward to high school, Bon?" Damon inquired, pulling out of the driveway.

"Maybe," Bonnie looked preoccupied.

Damon glanced at me and then shrugged. "Bet Lockwood is pumped to be joining the football team with the big boys. He does know they'll haze him, right?"

"You mean that way they hazed you?" Bonnie inquired with a smirk.

"That was different," Damon grumbled. He did not like to be reminded of our first encounter with the football squad that ended with us in a dumpster. Not a fond memory for me, either. However, I felt we would find ways to change the playing field this year. The thought made me smile.

Damon and Bonnie continued to bicker the rest of the car ride while Caroline attempted to play peacemaker and I enjoyed the feel of the sun until Damon stopped in the parking lot.

"Salvatore!" a voice I had come to dread called to us.

"Whitmore," Damon called back. His shoulders rose and his expression darkened. Wesley Whitmore was one of the five people in the world none of us wanted to see. Although the blonde teenager did not look like the typical football player, what he lacked in size he made up in money. His family owned the college that Katherine Gilbert currently attended. And the senior had no problem with shoving it down our throats.

Damon's family's family did not seem to faze Wes. It seemed to give Wes Whitmore a special thrill to work to make Damon's life a living hell. And when you made Damon's life a living hell, you also made mine one as well.

"Are you looking forward to your new year?" Wes asked, folding his arms over his chest. His smirk said he looked forward to whatever type of torture he'd been inventing all summer.

"Yup. You?" Damon leaned against his car with a smile that told the world he had no worries.

Wes shrugged. "I look forward to seeing you around." His words were aimed at me and Damon but his eyes had traveled to the two young ladies I helped out of the back of Damon's car. "Ah, new girls. We haven't had the pleasure. Wes Whitmore. And you are?"

"None of your concern," Bonnie retorted, shouldering her bag. "Come on, Caroline."

Wes let out a quiet whistle. "Pretty and sassy. What's she doing with the likes of you two?"

Damon opened his mouth to make a retort but Wes had already moved to go into the school and Damon groaned. "Asshole."

"Yes." I nodded. "Shall we?"

"I guess." Damon shook his head. I could tell Damon was losing his cool already.

Placing a hand on Damon's shoulder; I shot him a grin. "Don't worry, my friend, we're going to make this first day one you won't forget soon."

"Oh? You and Care plotting behind my back?" Damon asked me. His expression lightened and he seemed happier as we entered the school.

"You might say that," I replied.

The hallway was already packed with overly excited young people, who were all seeking out friends, enemies and a place to hide to catch up, or to avoid being stuffed inside a locker.

"Nik!" Tyler Lockwood's voice was not one I'd been looking forward to hearing but I did not cringe when he came running toward me and jerked me into a tight hug. "Hey, man! We've barely had time to hang this summer. Training camp was a real bitch. Bigger than Kat used to be."

"Used to?" Damon jumped in.

"Kat's still a bitch," Stefan came to join us from the other side of the hallway.

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Damon demanded. "I thought I ditched you and could avoid being branded the Salvatore Brothers. We're not some kind of menswear line."

"Thanks, you jackass," Stefan snapped. He shook his head at Damon. "Fine. I'll go hang with Lena." He began to head down the hallway when Damon caught hold of the back of Stefan's bag, causing Stefan's legs to keep moving before he registered the lack of ability to leave.

Letting go, Damon watched Stefan fall on his face. Tyler let out a loud laugh until Damon glared Ty into silence. "Lena's here?" Damon inquired, leaning down and holding out a hand to Stefan.

Pushing himself up and glaring at Damon, Stefan nodded, his chin stuck out before he spat out. "She got back last night. You were too busy with your sleepover with your besties to notice. I was over at Jer's. We were talking about the next game when she came in the door. She thought you would be there."

"What?" Damon rolled his eyes. "She didn't tell me that."

"Guess you weren't listening. Again." Stefan shook his head and took off down the hall.

"Great," Damon groaned. "So Lena thinks I didn't care she got home." He kicked at the spot in front of him.

I shrugged. "She'll be pleased to see you."

"Sure she will be," Tyler added with a smile. Damon shot Tyler a dark look and Tyler backed away. "Got homeroom. See ya."

"You'll catch up during the party," I told Damon.

"What party?" Damon watched me closely and I grinned.

~0~

"I've got a pool at home," Damon complained. "And there is no way in hell I am joining the swim team. The only thing lamer would be the chess team. Or worse—yearbook. Ugh!" He shuddered and we walked toward the closed door of the pool room.

"You might be surprised," I replied. Going to the door, I pushed it open and made my way inside.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" Damon asked me. His eyes went around the area. A small smile began to form.

"This is a Dare Club meeting," I told him. "Party. Whatever you wish to call it. This pool is all our own for the period of lunch. Or until we are caught here." I made my way toward the bleachers.

"Pizza's here!" Matt called. He came through the doors with boxes of pizza. Tyler and Stefan brought bottles of pop and bags with plates, napkins and cups.

"Turn up the volume!" Caroline called to Bonnie.

Bonnie waved a hand and the radio someone had brought went up.

Yes. We would be caught. Until then, it would be a marvelous party.

"Damon," Elena's voice made us turn to find Elena Gilbert marching over to Damon. I took a step backwards because the look on Elena's face told me that this might become one of their nastier quarrels.

"Elena," Damon replied evenly. He watched her the way a rabbit would watch a cat, ready to race away the instant the cat swung a clawed paw.

Elena placed her hands on her hips. "I heard you spent the night with Nik and Care."

"I did." Damon did not move a muscle.

"You didn't see my calls?" Elena demanded.

"He's been checking all summer," I told her.

Elena turned to stare at me. Her face relaxed and she looked at Damon. "Did you?"

"No." Damon shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Do I look that insecure?" Scoffing, he rolled his eyes.

Elena's eyes began to glow and she moved on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. "I didn't call. I thought you might not want to talk me. I thought you might find a new girlfriend because I didn't tell you about applying to writer's boot camp and I thought you'd be angry with me and I really, really, really missed you. Forgive me?"

Damon's shoulders sunk and he placed his hands on Elena's waist. "I love you." He leaned down and kissed her and the rest of the group began to scream or laugh.

"Get a room!" Tyler shouted, taking off his pants and shirt before he cannonballed into the pool.

"You're supposed to wait half an hour after eating!" Caroline shouted at Tyler.

"Oops!" Tyler came up from the water and spat some in Caroline's direction.

"That's it!" Caroline unzipped her dress and kicked off her shoes. "I'm going to kick your ass, Lockwood!" she shouted, diving into the pool.

"Not if you can't catch me!" Tyler shouted, swimming away.

Smirking, I went to get a slice of pizza when the door opened. A senior girl came in and placed her hands on her hips. "Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!" she called to us.

Damon and I exchanged a look. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," I called back. I made my way over to her. "Did no one tell you there would be a private party hosted today?"

"There is?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes. There was a flyer. Matt, did you forget the flyers?" I demanded, glaring at Matt.

Matt glanced up from where he had been helping Caroline to toss Tyler around in the pool water. "Sorry, Nik."

"If you tell your friends, you're all welcome to attend," I told the girl.

"Really?" the girl looked pleased with the invite.

"Now, remember, this is a private party. Not everyone is invited," I told the girl quietly.

The girl nodded and left the pool room.

Turning to my friends I held up my hands. "Everyone, it seems that we will face the on-coming of half the student body. Please, be prepared."

"Yes, Klaus!" they called back to me. This was about to become a lot more interesting.

~0~

"So, I was telling Kendra that _Felicity_ is like my life. It really is. Every single episode. I swear, I don't know how they're like plagiarizing my life!" the girl to my left complained.

"I get it. It's just so sad that people don't have more of an imagination," the girl to my right said. "Right, Nik? Nik totally gets it. He's such a good listener."

In fact I'd been watching the school's linebacker hitting on Caroline for the past ten minutes while Bonnie took his water bottle and sprinkled a little token of affection for the boy inside.

Wes came in and Damon stood up from his position next to Stefan. Our tormenter did not even seem to see Damon. His eyes drifted around the room. He spotted Elena and made his way toward her. Leaning toward Elena, he said something that made her laugh and she tossed her hair over her shoulder. My eyes went to Damon. I saw my best friend about to lose his temper.

"Bonnie!" I called. She stood a mere four feet from me, but with a noise coming from the music and the cries of four years' worth of student body; I could barely be heard. "Excuse me, ladies," I said to my company before I placed an arm around Bonnie. "Could you help me with something here?" I inquired, eyeing Wes.

Bonnie caught sight of Wes. Her eyes narrowed and she nodded. With a flick of her wrist and a word spoken so softly I did not catch it, Bonnie's magic sent Wes stumbling toward the edge of the pool. His body titled and into the pool he went.

Damon let out a whoop of laughter while Elena placed her hand over her mouth trying to control her own laughter. Wes came up, coughing and spluttering. His head began to turn toward me and Bonnie—not that he could possibly know what she'd done—but fate seemed to want to redirect his attention.

The door to the pool room flew open and our furious gym teacher, followed by our equally furious principal came storming into the room. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Party?" one of the seniors said weakly.

"That had better be Coke!" the principal shouted.

A junior snorted out a laugh.

Our principal glowered before taking one of the cups and took a sip. "It's Coke. Right. Everyone! Out of the pool and get to class. I will be asking each of you to come to my office to ask you who might be behind this."

"That won't be a problem," the gym teacher said. She leaned down and picked up a flyer. "It seems that this is thanks to our favorite student. Mr. Wesley Whitmore."

Wes was pushing himself out of the pool and let out a shout. "I didn't start this party!"

"The flyer says you did. My office, Mr. Whitmore," the principal said.

It looked like this new school year was turning out exactly how I had dreamed it would.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. The Mikaelsons are finding a new home. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: Welcome to Your New Home

After a long negotiation, my father managed to purchase us a new house and we were to move in today. This meant that my brothers and I would be dragging around furniture and so many boxes filled with the various things we felt we could not leave behind but now that we were dragging all these things through the early Fall heat—we considered dumping them. Perhaps a garage sale would have ended our currents woes. However, we found there were just too many things we could not part with. For some reason.

"What about your old baseball glove?" I'd asked Kol. I turned to find Kol pulling out a magazine from another box.

"Look, Nik, boobs!" Kol cried in delight. He was fourteen and had become a –

"Pervert!" Bekah screamed, coming into the room. My twelve-year-old-going-on-thirty-married-woman-with-three-kids-and-a-mortgage baby sister shouted. She pointed an accusatory finger at Kol's face.

Kol rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous because you don't have these." He lifted the magazine to show the breasts that poor Bekah did, in fact, not have yet.

Cheeks flushing, Bekah shot Kol a look which might end in his untimely death before she turned on her heel and ran. This was followed by, "FATHER! Kol is a dirty, dirty pervert! I don't want to live with him anymore! Can we, PLEASE, sell him on E-Bay! PLEASE!"

Chuckling, Kol went back to his perusal of the nude forms of women he would never meet. I supposed it was one step up from last summer when he'd been caught peeping at poor Bonnie Bennett. The joke being that her Grams came out and placed a spell on him which had him ribbiting like a frog for weeks. Poor Father took him to the hospital and the doctors were quite perplexed.

Smirking to myself, I placed a picture frame with the photo of myself and Caroline inside a box and carefully folded bubble wrap over it. My eyes went up when Finn came into the living room. "Morning," Finn said, stretching his arms over his head. He'd come home to help with the move. Or to hide from Sage. She'd been badgering him about finding a new job.

Since Elijah decided to postpone college, Finn had argued that he, too, should take time off to search for himself. This meant he and Sage would be shacking up and taking odds and ends jobs to pay the rent on their "super cute studio apartment" which was barely more than the size of Damon's closet.

"Kol, what are you doing with that?" Finn demanded. His eyes darkened and then his cheeks flushed. "Put that garbage in the trash! Honestly! Can't you find a real girlfriend?"

"Is Sage looking?" Kol inquired with a grin.

Finn's eyes narrowed and he stomped across the room. Taking the magazine, he curled it up and smacked the back of Kol's head. "Out!" he snarled. "Before I take you outside and deposit you inside the trash can. Today is collection day, you know."

Kol backed toward the doorway facing us. "I'd like to see you try. Last heavy thing I saw you pick up was Bekah."

"OUT!" Finn thundered, pointing at the doorway and making a move toward Kol. Kol laughed and left us. "I do not know why we put up with him." Finn muttered. He glanced down at the magazine, shaking his head.

"It's yours. Isn't it?" I inquired, still putting away precious mementos.

"Yes," Finn grumbled. "How did you guess?"

"Caught Elijah sneaking them into your room when we were younger. Damon and I were bored on a dark and stormy night. Thanks for the anatomy lesson, brother." I nodded at the magazine he had in hand. "Plan on ridding yourself of the smut now that you have a girl in your home?"

Finn continued to stare at the magazine. "Of course." He sighed and moved to shove the magazine in his back pocket. "Just going to take it out now."

"Why don't you give it to me? I'll keep it for you until you find an adequate hiding place for it?" I held out a hand, waving for Finn to hand over the magazine.

"Thank you, Niklaus." Finn seemed genuinely grateful that I was willing to keep his porn for him. He did not see how I might keep it as something to hold over his head one day. Oh, how short-sighted my family could be at times…

~0~

"I think that's the last of the boxes!" Elijah called out. His shirt was quite damp with sweat and he peeled it off and groaned. "I am so happy that I am taking that extra shift at the Grill tonight." He shook his head in despair.

"At least you won't be alone," I told him with a smile.

"Coming in to watch me work does not count, Niklaus." Elijah said, wiping his forehead with his T-shirt.

"It doesn't?" I placed my hand over my heart. "Then why do I get a discount on my milkshakes?"

Elijah grinned down at me from the inside of the U-Haul. "Because you use my employee discount, Klaus."

A banging sound came from the side of the truck and I moved to the side to crane my neck and peer at what was making the sound. "Damon!" I called.

"Afternoon, Nik!" Damon strode over to peer inside the truck. "Half-naked Elijah. Still not finish yet?"

"No. Why?" I inquired, folding my arms over my chest. No one had told me of anything of any importance happening today.

"Oh, well, the girls were just wondering how long the show would continue." Damon hooked a thumb at a window across the street.

Turning around, I placed my hands on my hips and shot a glare at Caroline, Elena and Bonnie. They were sitting in the window of a neighbor who Elena had offered to house-sit for and had been passing a pair of binoculars between them until they caught me glaring. "What were they up to?" I demanded.

Elijah climbed out of the truck and ran a hand through his hair. "Who is what up to?" He inquired, running his hands through his hair.

I cocked my head to the side when Elena fell off the couch and Bonnie slapped a hand over her mouth. Caroline had begun to fan herself. Now, I felt my irritation rising. "You. They've been spying on you, Elijah."

Without another word, I marched across the street—without looking which is a good way to end up very dead—and punched the doorbell. I kept my finger there, enjoying the sounds of girls' screaming at the shrill noise of the buzzer.

After thirty seconds, Caroline jerked the door open. "You made your point!" she shouted at me, hands going over her ears.

Smiling, I kept my finger on the bell for another ten seconds before I lifted it. "So sorry, ladies, to interrupt your entertainment for the day!" I shouted as I stepped forward, forcing Caroline to move backwards and out of my way. "Next time, let me know of your plans. I'll only charge a small fee."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Like you've never spied on any of us."

Turning my sights on my girlfriend, I cupped her face and gave her my most sincere look. "When I think of a girl I want to see without their shirt on: You are my first, my last, and my only thought."

"Ah!" Elena and Bonnie cried, leaning into her each other.

"You mean you're weren't into it when we saw that movie with the girl who –" Elena began and I shot her a death glare. Raising her hand, Elena made a gesture, drawing her pressed together thumb and forefinger over her lips and mimed throwing away the key.

"Klaus, you always know just what to say," Caroline cooed, placing her hands on the back of my head and pulling me into a kiss.

After a moment, I pulled back and placed my lips to her ear. "Now that I said that, why don't you ditch the girls and you can give me a little show?" I pulled back and brushed her hair behind her ears.

Caroline eyed me with a gleam in her eye. She was fourteen-going-on-a-great-many-things and every time we were together I wanted to kiss her, and hold her, and show her what the rest of our lives would be like. But I also knew we had time. So, I had to take things much more slowly than I wanted to.

"Maybe later. Let's go in your new house. I want to help put your stuff up." What Caroline meant was she wanted to make sure you could find things in my bedroom when she came over. Or, to be more precise, my little control freak wanted to tell me how to decorate my room, and I would allow it. To an extent.

Taking my hand, Caroline led me out the door of the neighbor's house. "Hi, Damon!" Caroline called brightly.

"Caroline! Come see my new room!" Rebekah shouted. She'd popped her head out the third-story window. "It doesn't smell like boy yet!"

"Coming! Be back later!" Caroline pressed a quick kiss to my lips before she left me behind with Damon.

"You don't mind Lena spying on Elijah?" I asked Damon, leaning against the open back of the U-Haul.

Damon shrugged. "She has her fantasy life. I have mine. It's not like its cheating." He climbed inside the van and took a seat on the floor. "Speaking of cheating… You know that Lockwood is planning on trying to get into a thing with some girl that Donovan is pining after?" Damon seemed somewhat amused.

"How is that cheating?" I inquired, climbing inside the van and tugging the door down so we could gossip in private.

Damon shrugged. "Well, here's the thing, girl's been hanging out with Enzo. But Enzo doesn't know that she's been hanging out with other guys at the high school. He just knows she comes sniffing around the boarding school."

"Oh?" Now I felt more interested. "You mean Enzo's not truly interested in Caroline?"

"Oh, no!" Damon shook his head and folded his arms behind his head. "Enzo's totally into Care. Not that she cares. Care's all about Nik. Nik is all about Care. Enzo is going to find out that small town girls can be fickle little bits—"

"Witch," I jumped to my feet.

"What?" Damon's brows went up.

"I just came up with a solution for my problem. Will return soon. Don't go in and be sucked into Caroline's decorating my room without me." I warned Damon before pulling the door open and hopping out.

"What are you boys doing in there?" Father asked, peering inside the truck.

"Plotting world domination," Damon called back as I made my way across the street. I planted my fingertip on the doorbell once more and waited. Not long after, Bonnie Bennett came to the door. "Caroline is in your house. What do you want?"

"You." A little smile played at the corners of my face as Bonnie stared at me like I'd proposed and she would rather I asked to eat her liver.

"Excuse me?" Bonnie half-shouted.

"Not for me," I added with a quiet laugh. "Let me in. We'll talk."

Bonnie stood to the side and I peered around. "Where is Elena?"

"Doing laundry," Bonnie said.

"They expect her to do laundry?" My brows shot up. "How much are they paying and might I help? I could use some cash." Caroline did like little presents and that took money.

"It's Kat's laundry. She dared Elena to use the washer here." Bonnie shrugged. "Kat logic. What do you want from me?"

"I want to dare you to hang around the boarding school," I said, watching Bonnie frown.

"Right. Why?" Bonnie leaned against the wall opposite me and I wondered why did she have to be so intelligent?

"Because I want you to make Enzo think you're interested in him." Bonnie continued to stare at me like I'd lost my mind. "He's taken an interest in Caroline. I do not like it. I wish for it to stop."

Bonnie's brows went up. "Care likes you, Klaus."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "I am aware of that. I simply wish for Enzo's interest to move to a more…appropriate person." Finishing my sentence I watched Bonnie glare at me.

"I don't like Enzo. He's rude. And he's a jerk." Bonnie shook her head.

"I dare you to hang around the Boarding School!" I snarled out.

Bonnie groaned. "Fine. I dare you to stop being a jealous jackass!"

Holding out a hand to the witch; I offered Bonnie a winning smile. "Done."

Seconds later Elena came into the living room. She paused to look from me to Bonnie. "What's going on?"

"Just a dare between old friends. Now, which one of you would like to help Caroline decorate my room?" I inquired with a smile.

Elena and Bonnie gave each other a meaningful look which I felt I should worry about, and I would, later.

~0~

"What about the walls?" Caroline said. She tapped her chin and puckered out her lower lip. "I'm thinking something in the purple family," she consulted Elena. Given Elena's newfound love of everything purple; I suspected I knew the answer to this one.

"Caroline. A moment, love?" Taking hold of Caroline's hand, I maneuvered her across my room which was still cluttered with unopened boxes. The girls' main objective had been to start a memory wall, decide on whether my bedcovers truly matched the essence of the room's spirit and whether or not _Feng_ _Shui_ was still a thing. Allowing them to paint my walls a nightmarish Cartoon Dinosaur color would be where I drew the line.

"Yes, honey." Caroline fluttered her eyelashes at me and tilted from side to side. The bottom of her short dress kept slipping up and down her legs and I inhaled. The need to control my hormones and remember what I intended to tell my beloved popping back into my head.

"I thought perhaps I could decide the color of the room…later." I brushed her curls behind her ears. "Perhaps one night…say next year…"

"Next year!" Caroline jerked back. "Are you kidding me? We're going to have meetings in here? Right? How can you not make a statement! And the color of your walls is like, like, like a way to see into your very soul!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not asking you to spray glitter on them…" A sudden gleam appeared in her eyes and I knew what that meant.

"Caroline. Darling. I have a thought. If you will just take a moment to hear me out." I paused and waited for Caroline to snap out of her fantasies of making my bedroom into an extension of her own personal space.

"Why don't you consider helping Bekah with her room? She needs guidance. She's still so young. Her tastes are just developing and I know she admires you." I added a smile to the end of my commentary, hoping Caroline would let this go.

Caroline placed her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed and all the happiness had drained through the floor and seeped into the ground beneath our new basement. This would not end well for me. "You don't want my help! Do you, Niklaus Mikaelson! You hate ALL of my ideas! Don't you! I can't believe this! You're such a jerk! A big, selfish jerk!" Shaking her head at me, Caroline continued to glare. "Fine. You don't like my ideas. I bet I know who will. Come on, girls!"

With a hair flip, Caroline turned and headed for the door. She paused in the doorway. "I'm sure Enzo will be happy to let me help him with his room's new look."

"Caroline!" I yelled.

"Yes?" Caroline whirled around.

"I would be happy for you to pick a color for my room. Feel free to paint it any shade that comes to mind." My shoulders fell. "I have to go find Elijah." Perhaps my brother—having spent years in an on and off relationship with the queen of manipulation herself, Katherine Gilbert—could help me figure out how to handle Caroline's demands. Or he could help distract me from my current woes.

"I knew you'd come around." Caroline crossed the floor and pressed a sweet kiss to my cheek. "See you when you come back."

"Right." I groaned and headed for the door.

I headed into the hallway and found Damon sitting on the floor. He had a glass of lemonade, a sandwich and an open canister of Pringles lay out on the floor. "Hey," he called.

"You're still here. I thought you'd disappeared when the girls went decorating mad." I slid onto the floor beside Damon.

Damon shrugged. "Beats being stuck at home. Oh, wait. I forgot. It's not my home. It's a boarding school now. Hell, there are times the other guys who live there know where my brother is and I don't."

"Where is Stefan?" I asked, taking a half of Damon's turkey on rye and taking a healthy bite.

Damon shook his head. "No idea. Haven't seen him since yesterday morning. Thought he'd head over here and check out your new digs. Seems like he's too busy. Wonder whether Bekah will freak out about that, again. Or she'll find some other reason to hang around the school."

Leaning back against the wall, I sighed. "I told Caroline I was going to go hunt down Elijah before he goes to work. Want to come?"

"Sure." Damon grabbed the Pringles, the empty plate and the glass before he dropped the plate in front of Kol's door. My brows went up. "He does that all the time. Your dad will think it was Kol. And the kid never seems to get into trouble about that kind of crap anymore. Does he?"

No. Our Father had become so absorbed with his new business and some woman he was dating, that he barely noticed when we didn't behave. This left some of us acting out to try to gain his attention. Mainly, that was Kol and Bekah, other times it was me.

Heading down the hallway, we found Elijah in his new room. While I'd been watching Caroline, Bonnie and Elena mapping out a master plan for my space, Elijah had been putting his bedroom together. His bedframe had been assembled. His book shelf, chest of drawers, nightstand and desk with chair were all in their proper places. Hell, the books were already on their shelves and his clothes must be in the drawers because they weren't all boxed up. What had I been doing?

Easing inside the room without making a noise, I snuck up on my brother. Damon moved to the other side. We glanced at each other before peering at the screen on Elijah's laptop. "Ah. You're cyber stalking Kat. How sweet." Damon's comment made me chuckle and Elijah jumped in his chair.

"What are the two of you doing?" Elijah demanded. He whirled around in his chair and glowered at us like we'd walked in on him having a "special moment" with himself. "You." He sent me a stern look. "I thought you were working with Caroline on a theme for your room." His head turned to Damon. "And you. I thought you were hiding from your new roommates and eating the food that I just stocked the fridge with."

Damon's mouth opened in a gap, displaying the yet-to-be swallowed Pringles he'd just shoved in. Closing his mouth, Damon made some noises that might be words or some pre-evolution code for "Sorry, Jackass."

Frowning, I moved to sit on Elijah's desk. "Are we interrupting something?"

"No." Elijah moved to close the computer when I grabbed the laptop and carried it over to Elijah's bed. Flopping down, I moved the computer onto my lap and stared at the screen. "Multiple windows open. Twitter. Facebook. Some other sites that Father doesn't know that we have access to… Elijah Mikaelson, I do believe you are stalking your ex."

"I am not stalking Katherine!" Elijah snapped. He got up but Damon set his lemonade on the floor and took a running dive to settle on the bed next to me. "Stalker!" He let out a hoot of laughter. His blue eyes widened as he pointed at the screen. "Can't believe it. Kat's been at Whitmore for two years and you've been stalking her this entire time. Can't wait to tell Lena!"

"Damon, so help me…" Elijah moved toward me with a look on his face that I rarely saw but made me gulp. "Give me the computer!"

"Come on, Elijah!" Damon cried, moving between me and my brother. "It's no big deal. So, you want to check out what's she's up to. Hell, she's probably doing things that are way more interesting than we've been up to lately." He settled back down. "See! She's playing a game with this guy that involves his sucking shots out of her belly button. Nik, why aren't we doing that?"

"Sucking shots out of each other's belly buttons?" My eyes went wide and I shook my head. "I think we're close enough. No need to ruin the mystery."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I want to go to a college party! Elijah, take us to a college party! Please! You can go and stalk Kat in-person. You can bring flowers. Make it a date she never asked for and might consider taking out a restraining order over."

"Damon, you're not funny." Elijah sat down on the end of his bed. "You should check the search history, Niklaus. Before you come up with any more wild accusations."

Glancing at Damon, I went ahead and loaded the history. Scrolling through, I found boring things like searches about the local library and jobs. Then I found that what Elijah had been searching had been social media quite a bit, particularly the social media sites. "Brother…I'm not sure what you think I'm looking at…"

"Andie. Rose. Mason. Ric. Jenna. Hayley. They all have social media. I've been keeping up with what they've been up to while they're away." Elijah stared at the carpet.

"You miss your friends since they moved away," Damon said quietly.

Elijah glanced at us with a crooked smile. "Yes. I do."

"Then why don't you contact them?" I inquired, setting the laptop aside.

"They have moved on." Elijah glanced at the back of his laptop. "They're having new adventures. Finding new happiness. Finding themselves." He got a far-way look on his face.

"Well, Kat comes back to check on Nadia and Davina," Damon pointed out.

"And to drop off her laundry," I added.

Elijah gave me a confused look.

"And Hales will drop by any day now to pick up Aiden," Damon stopped talking when Elijah frowned. The topic of Hayley taking Aiden for part of the year back to New York with her was not one that Elijah seemed to care for. "And she'll probably hang out with us for like a week…" Damon finished before glancing at the computer screen. "Mason will come back because Ty will do something stupid. And Jenna and Ric will come back to see Lena and me…and you."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "How very generous of you, Damon."

"You've got us," I said. "You've got the club. You're our most senior member. That means you have to help us not kill ourselves before you go off to college, too."

Letting out a laugh, Elijah shook his head. "Right then."

A soft knock on the door alerted me to Caroline having returned. "Hi." She looked at me. "Can you come with me, please?"

"I'll be back." I shoved myself off the side of the bed and made my way over to Caroline. "Yes?"

"Come." Caroline took my hand. She led me back to my room. My eyes went wide as I took in something strange going on. "So, this is just an illusion. But I thought you might want to paint something like it, here, instead of just purple."

My eyes traveled over the ceiling and walls of my room. "How?"

"Bonnie used a spell." Caroline took my hand. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." I glanced again at the vivid purples and dark blues of the night that enfolded my room. Stars lit up my walls and glowed on my ceiling. Trees erupted along the walls, attempting to meet those same stars and I found myself a little bit in awe. "You know me well."

"I do." Caroline placed her head on my chest.

Closing my eyes, I pretended we were dancing under the night sky and I felt a well of happiness as cliché as it was. I had come to find that you need to hold onto to the happy moments because they are fleeting.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaus' schemes are just getting started. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: You Can Sell Anything in Today's Market!

Weekends. The days of the week that most students-not including college students—look forward to. They're the days when we can escape the confines of the four walls disconnecting us from our hopes and dreams, leaving us pondering when the sweet surrender of summer will be in reach. However, since the bloody boarding school opened, my oasis from the tedium of my home life had been ruined. Whenever I set foot in Damon's home, I was once again reminded that so many strange boys lived under my best friend's roof. Also Enzo lived there…

"Good morning, Nik." Enzo greeted me the moment the door opened.

Narrowing my eyes, I hitched my book bag. "Enzo. Where is Damon?"

"Don't know." Enzo smirked back at me and had yet to move out of my way.

Enzo and I have a long history. We'd been roommates. Allies. Quasi-friends. Actual friends and roommates for a short stint, thanks to Katherine. Now we were enemies. I wasn't sure why it was that I disliked Enzo so much. Perhaps it was his accent. I enjoyed how the girls in our little group would hang on my words, especially Caroline. Or maybe it was Enzo's living with Damon. Damon and I used to live together for a period along with the rest of my family when we lost our home. More than likely it was Enzo's crush on Caroline. Yes. I believe that's what broke our friendship.

Reminding myself why I was there in the first place, I pressed forward and felt satisfied when Enzo stepped back. "I'll go and find him."

"Right." Enzo paused. "Do you know where Caroline is this morning?"

"No." I felt my skin prickle and I forced myself to not lose my temper when Enzo let out a low chuckle.

"She's in the kitchen." Enzo's words were followed by his leaving the foyer. "You're free to join us," he called over his shoulder.

Feeling the desire to murder someone, I stomped over to the stairs. "She's in the kitchen," I muttered under my breath as boys passed me on the stairs. A few offered greetings. They were becoming aware of how close Damon and I were. That meant most of them wanted to become my friend. Others did not care.

With a heavy sigh, I made my way down the hallway. I only stopped for a moment when I heard two familiar voices arguing. "I don't want to wear that, Bekah!" Stefan Salvatore complained. "It's…not my color…"

Rebekah came into view with a tie. "You'll wear it and you'll bloody well like it! I have to get through this bloody recital, Stefan! And you're going with me or I will never speak to you again!"

"Uh…" Stefan's response took too long for my baby sister.

Bekah stomped over to the door and jerked it open. "Nik! Have you been spying on me!" Her cheeks turned crimson and her mouth opened wide enough so that nothing good could come out.

"No!" I held up both hands. "Rebekah. I'm here to see Damon. Father did not mention that you were coming here, too."

"Father does not know I'm here. I'm not supposed to have a boyfriend until I am in college. And I never to bring them home. Or Father will dig a hole and my boyfriend will reside there from now on." I knew this. I'd heard the speech, many times.

Rebekah sniffed the air. "I smell bacon. I'm going down to breakfast now."

"I'll come with." Stefan said, hopping over to the door as he pried his foot into a shoe while using the shoe-clad foot to propel him forward.

Whirling on her heel, Rebekah shot Stefan a death glare. "I don't want to talk to you. Go away!" she snarled before she tossed her hair over her shoulder, slapping Stefan in the face with it before she made her way toward the stairs.

"God help the poor soul who marries her," I sighed. My eyes went to Stefan who looked like someone had stolen his brain. "Never mind." Moving away from the desperate and confused young male, I continued on my hunt for my friend.

Music poured out from Damon's room. Stopping outside, I noted that new poster which simply stated: Murder is Illegal But Your Body Will Never Be Found If You Knock. Cocking my head to the side, I thought about that for five seconds. Best not to knock then.

Taking hold of the doorknob, I shoved the door open and my eyes widened. My hand went to my eyes before I stumbled backwards and ran into the wall behind me.

"Nik?" Damon's voice called to me.

Shaking my head, I kept my head down. "I did not see anything. Swear I didn't see anything." My eyes were glued to the floor. However, the sight of Elena Gilbert's naked back was still a very vivid memory.

"Klaus?" Elena squeaked from somewhere inside the room. "Oh, no!" she cried.

"Lena, baby, it's okay. It's just Nik. He's not going to tell anyone." Damon tried to reassure Elena as he shut the door and I leaned against the wall, lifting my hand to rub at my eyelids. I really needed to stop seeing one of my close friends straddling my best friend with her top off.

After a long five minutes, Damon re-opened the door. "Hey, man. What's up?" Damon asked me. He had put a shirt on. However, his hair was still disheveled and the little smirk he kept trying to rid himself of told a story I did not need to think about.

Elena tip-toed out into the hall. Her wide brown eyes stayed on the floor. "I'm going to go downstairs. Now." She hurried away from us, tripped over her own feet before running for the stairs.

"Run of shame," Damon said, crossing his arms over his chest. The smirk he'd been working so hard not to display came out in full force. "Nik, you saw that! Right!" He took my arm and jerked me into his room. "High school is amazing!" He held up his hands and a bright smile appeared on his face. "I thought that I would never make it until the girls finally got into high school with us. That was hell. Literal hell. Waiting for two freakin' years… But this… This is worth it! Completely worth it!" He took me by the arms and grinned.

"I… You… You guys weren't… I didn't really see anything… But you weren't… Having…" I felt nervous bringing up the subject because Caroline and I hadn't even talked about sex. We just weren't there at the moment. Add that to the reasons in the I hated Enzo pile. The idea that some other guy might try to… No. I would not think about that.

"We weren't what, Nik?" Damon's brows went up.

"You weren't having sex, were you?" I looked Damon in the eye.

"Nope. Not yet. But we're going to get there soon. No. This was just fooling around. Topless fooling around. My girlfriend is so hot!" Damon let go of me and went over to turn his stereo off. "That's why I put up the sign. If one of the other guys had walked in on us; I would have killed them."

"Then I am glad it was me." In fact I was not happy that I'd walked in on them. I wished I had never seen Elena writhing on top of Damon. I would not be able think of anything else until we found something else for me to focus on. Which brought me to the sole reason I had come over.

"Damon, I have a bit of a dare in mind," I said with a grin.

"Oh, yeah?" Damon nodded. "Cool." He looked at the door. "Should we eat first?"

"Of course." I did not want Caroline to be left alone with Enzo for much longer.

Damon led the way out of his bedroom. Several of the boarding school boys greeted Damon. "Damon," Marcel Gerard greeted him. "Nik."

"Marcel, how good to see you. Prying your eyes away from your books long enough to join us for breakfast?" The more people I could drag downstairs, the less privacy Enzo would have to try to ensnare Caroline's attention.

"I guess." Marcel had a book under his arm.

Damon snatched the book out from under Marcel's arm. "What is this?" he demanded. He glanced at the front of it. "_Count_ _of_ _Monte_ _Cristo_? Lame!" He shoved the book into Marcel's chest. "We need to find you a girl. You meet Bonnie? She's the most annoying girl I've ever met. Plus, she's single."

"She's interested in someone else!" I snapped, glaring at Damon.

Damon's brows came together. "Okay. Sor-ry. Apparently Nik is planning on hooking her up with someone else. First, I've heard of it. Okay. Who do we know whose single? Sage still with Finn?"

"Yes!" I snapped.

"Fine. Um. Girls who still live in Mystic Falls?" Damon looked thoughtful as we got to the end of the staircase. "Well, Kat will be circling town on her broomstick one of these days. And if you're looking for a psycho; she's right up your alley."

By the wide-eyed, horrified expression on Marcel's face and the way he was clutching his book to his chest; I thought Kat might be a bit much for him. But Kat wasn't the only girl who could scare the crap out of people.

"I said light butter!" Rebekah shouted at Stefan. She took a slice of toast and tossed it at Stefan's head. "Must I do everything myself!" she fumed, making her way toward the doorway of the dining room. "Out of my way!" she snarled at us.

"She's pretty," Marcel said, his eyes moving in the direction Bekah had just stormed off in.

"That's Bekah. My sister." I reminded Marcel. "She's twelve."

"Maybe after she graduates from college you can look her up," Damon suggested. "In the meantime… Lockwood is single."

"Lockwood?" Marcel looked from me to Damon. "Is she nice?"

"Sure," Damon said, not adding that she was a he. Or did Tyler have sisters I never saw?

Making our way into the dining room, I spotted Enzo talking to Caroline while they shared a dish of strawberries. Elena sat on Caroline's other side, playing with a bowl of cereal. The moment she saw me and Damon come in, her cheeks flushed and she slid down in her chair.

Damon seemed oblivious as he made his way over to kiss Elena on the cheek. He then moved to join me and we went to fill a pair of plates with bacon, eggs and home-fried potatoes. Making our way over to the long dining table, Damon claimed the seat on Elena's left. Turning to the other side, I stared at Enzo. "Do you mind?" I asked, nodding at the seat he was in.

Caroline looked from me to Enzo. "No. I don't," Enzo said. Then he turned his back on me and said to Caroline, "How is it that your English class sounds more exciting than mine? Perhaps I should drop by and sit in."

Letting out a giggle, Caroline slapped Enzo's arm. "You couldn't! You'd get in so much trouble."

"It would be worth it," Enzo replied.

I was about to tell Enzo what he had to lose when Damon tapped me on the shoulder. "Take Lena's seat," he said. "Lena, sit on my lap." He patted his thighs.

Elena looked from Damon to the other boys at the table. I could see a few of them glancing at Elena and placing their hands over their mouths to not comment. As they continued, Elena's eyes began to pool. Leaning close to the girl, I whispered, "I dare you not to cry 'til later." Placing a hand on her arm, I squeezed it before I turned to Damon. "Oh, thank you, Damon. I need a seat." Plunking myself on his legs, I wiggled. "Yes. This is how I should sit every day."

A burst of laughter erupted along the table. Caroline's eyes had moved to mine. They were shining with mirth and wonder. She tilted her head and whispered, "Love you," to me.

I smirked and caught sight of Bekah coming into the room. "What's so bloody funny!" she demanded.

"Nothing, Bekah. Come sit with us. Enzo, move!" I snapped at Enzo. Bekah sauntered over to glower at Enzo who vacated his seat next to Caroline. Sometimes I felt so very pleased with Bekah. I should buy her gift, later.

~0~

"What's up, Klaus?" Tyler called out to me as I walked up his driveway. The remainders of the Dare Club followed me.

"Tyler, my good friend, I have a dare for you." Stopping in front of Tyler, I watched him intently.

"'Kay. My parents are at some kind of couple's retreat. 'To save their marriage." Tyler opened the door and went inside. I followed him toward the living room. "You said I needed my laptop for this?"

"Yes. I did," I moved to sit down beside Tyler. Damon grabbed a pillow and plopped down a few feet. He watched me closely because I had yet to tell him what I was up to.

Elena, Caroline and Bonnie sat down on the floor in a semi-circle, waiting to see what I was up to, too. Bekah waltzed over and took a pillow before sitting down beside Damon. Stefan moved to sit next to Bekah until she lifted a hand and he stumbled over to fall beside Caroline. He dusted himself off and moved to sit beside Bonnie.

Kol and Jeremy had made a truce and they took a seat on the other side of Stefan.

Matt was the last one of our group—who would be able to make it- since Elijah had to work. He took a seat to the other side of Tyler.

Now that everyone had taken a seat, I felt like I could announce my plans for the day. "Today, I would like Tyler to show us how to create a website to sell things on."

"Lame," Damon cried. He got to his feet. "Really, Nik? What are we going to do, sell my house? If only. Just get rid of the damned boarding school already. You know it took me three hours to be able to take a shower last night?"

"We could tell yesterday," Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

Damon opened his mouth and glared at Bonnie. Jumping in before Damon and Bonnie could begin their usual bickering, I spoke up, "Actually, Damon, I have a plan to help you with that. If you can wait for me to finish." My last remark made Damon purse his lips. He looked at the others who just stared back at him.

Shrugging, Damon took a seat. "Continue."

"Thank you." I stood up and looked around me. "Some of you have yet to have a problem with the new school. However, may I remind you all that once a new school begins operation in our fair town they will do things such as create sports teams." I looked at Tyler, Matt, Stefan, Kol and Jeremy. They were looking at each other with worry.

"They might also begin to perform pranks on people…like us," I told them. "We are the only real dare club in this town. However, thanks to Damon's and my own time at the boarding school, there are those who know about the dare club. Those people might choose to make their own. And we all remember what happened when Kat created her own, don't we?"

"Yes," Tyler said. "How's this going to help?"

"Oh, we're going to have a little preemptive strike to make sure these students know who they are dealing with." I smirked. "And who doesn't love puppies?"

Tyler now looked confused. "We're creating a site for puppies? How is that going to put these guys in their places?"

"They are the puppies who are being sold." I smirked.

"We can't sell people!" Bonnie shouted, glaring at me.

"No, love. We're not selling the students. Allow me to explain as Tyler works. Tyler, you know how to find a site to create your own website from scratch, don't you?" I watched Tyler closely.

Nodding, Tyler looked sad. "My parents were so pissed when they found out I was failing computer class, again."

"How could you be failing! We've only been in class for a couple of months!" Caroline cried.

Tyler shrugged. "Forgot to turn in all of my homework. Anyway, I've got a tutor now..." His eyes were on his computer and he clicked away. "You want pictures of puppies?" He asked me.

"Yes." I watched as Tyler found a page for free pics of puppies. "Not all of them have to be cute. Oh, look at this one who's drooling so much."

"That one is an attack dog," Damon pointed out. I found he'd gotten up to peer around me.

"Perfect," I said with a smile.

Tyler glanced at me like I'd lost my mind. "Do you have a printer?" I inquired.

"Sure. It's upstairs. Let me just…" Tyler punched a couple of buttons. "Should be upstairs."

"Wonderful. Thank you, Tyler." I shot to my feet and made my way toward the stairs. I went to Tyler's room and began to collect the photos when I found Caroline in the room.

"Nik, what are you doing?" Caroline asked me, folding her arms over her chest.

Making my way over to her, I placed a hand on her cheek. "It's just a bit of fun, Caroline. Don't worry, love." Giving me a suspicious look, Caroline sighed and allowed me to lead her back downstairs. "Who would like to help place a picture with a person?" I inquired. "Damon, help them by describing personalities, please."

Soon my Dare Clubbers were hard at work figuring out which boarding school students would be matched with which type of dog.

~0~

A heavy sigh came from the desk in front of us. Damon and I sat very still. We did not look at each other. We did not breathe.

"Do you know how difficult it was to convince the parents to not sue us?" Giuseppe demanded, sitting forward in his seat.

"This is our family's second chance, Niklaus." My own Father slapped a hand down on Giuseppe's desk. "We've lost everything before. Do you truly think this was worth it?"

My mind went back to Enzo's name under the picture of the possibly feral German Shepard and I was torn.

We sat through the whole lecture. And when it was through, we were released. A group of the boarding school boys stood outside the door of the headmasters' office. They did not seem too happy with us. Enzo watched me with a lack of expression.

Making our way to the front door, Marcel stopped us. "Thanks for choosing a Lab. Thought you might choose a St. Bernard."

"Oh, Marcel, you worked so hard on your figure. We couldn't pick on you like that," Damon said.

"You're the one who wanted to use a Husky," I pointed out.

Marcel rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Damon."

Damon shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm grounded for a year and my dad said he might make me stay here for school. But I told him it would be a punishment for you guys." He patted Marcel on the shoulder.

Leaving the school, I felt pretty good. I just did not know I just ignited a war with Enzo but I would soon.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaus is suffering from unintended consequences of his actions. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: _Sayonara_, Klaus

Do you ever have a dream in which you wake up on a plane and find that you've arrived at your destination half the world away from your home, friends and family? Well, I did. It all began on a rather uneventful day. Or I thought it was an uneventful day. Or I'd hoped it would be an uneventful day. I had plans for a party for the Dare Club since some of our more senior members were becoming bored that week. A high school party—just for the older kids—seemed like an ideal way to suffuse our days with joy. Sometimes parties end with your underwear in someone's lamp. And sometimes they end with you twenty-thousand miles in the air.

"What's the plan for the day?" Damon asked as he leaned against the locker next to mine.

"Do you mind?" a voice demanded from behind Damon.

"Yes," Damon retorted, ignoring the source of the voice.

The girl let out a sigh, "Really, Damon!" she snarled.

"Really," Damon retorted with an eye roll. "You know, sometimes people just don't know when they're not wanted."

"Damon Salvatore, I will give you an aneurysm if you don't get out of the way!" Bonnie Bennett snarled at Damon.

Damon turned around and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not a vamp, Witch. Now, go turn Wes into a horny pig."

"He's already a horny pig," Bonnie scoffed. She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at something that was happening down the hall from us.

Damon and I spied a brunette girl laughing at the end of the hall. She placed her hand on a blonde boy's shoulder. Then Damon let out a hiss. His hand connected with Bonnie's locker before he let out a cry of pain. "Good job, Damon, you've defeated the bad locker," Bonnie congratulated Damon as Elena turned away from Wes Maxfield and made her way toward us.

"Hi," Elena called to us, waving and looking unfazed while Damon cupped his hand to his chest.

"Elena, what the hell!" Damon cried, moving to stand in front of his girlfriend. "Why were you talking to the school's biggest jackass?" His eyes were burning into a confused Elena's.

Bonnie coughed out. "And the crowd cried 'It's a tie for School's Biggest Jackass.'" She caught me staring at her and offered me a half-smile.

Rolling my eyes, I looked around for Caroline. She was talking to some of her fellow cheerleaders, her ponytail bobbing about as she did what she loved most: Bossing other people about. "Nik!" she shouted after she turned to see me. "Bye!" she called to the girls. Then she hurried to join us. "Hi, honey," she pressed a quick kiss to my lips before she turned to look at Damon and Elena. "Okay? What's up with them?" she asked in a whisper that you could hear half-way down the hallway.

"They're having their annual fight," Bonnie quipped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Who's winning?" Caroline asked me.

"Not Bonnie's locker," I told my girlfriend. Slipping my arms around her waist, I placed my head on her shoulder and felt her ponytail rest against my cheek.

"Huh." Caroline said, eyeing Bonnie's locker. "Good job, Damon."

"Thanks, Care," Damon snapped as Elena sighed.

Our friends had decided to take a two second break from their argument before returning to it as if either of them would win the other over. "Wes is not the soulless creature that you make him out to be, Damon." Elena placed her hands on her hips. "He just invited us all to a party at his family's vacation place."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Damon let out a sarcastic laugh. "All of us?" He twirled a finger, including Elena, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline and me. "I'm sure. And after a couple dances and some free booze he'll find a way for the two of you to hang out alone before he decides to try to make out with my girl. Two minutes later, he'll be on to the next girl, 'cause he'll have made his point!"

"What point would that be!" Elena snarled, her brown eyes darkening.

I opened my mouth to warn Damon to not take his girlfriend's bait—this would not end well for him—but Damon jumped at her words.

"The point would be that he got into the pants of any girl he wants. Especially the fresh meat!" Damon's words came out far too loudly. His face had gone red. His arms were thrown out at his sides. Hell, he could be performing in the school play for all the passion he'd thrown into this scene. And he got the same reaction from the crowd: applause, laughter and an enthusiastic cry for "More!" That's when Damon realized that his relationship drama would be fodder for the rest of the day. And worst of all; it would get back to Wes within the hour.

"I can't believe you, Damon!" Elena cried, followed by the crack of flesh on flesh and her shoe twirling, hair flying and the exit, stage right of the girl who was formerly known as Damon Salvatore's girl.

"Shit!" Damon groaned. He fell against Bonnie's locker. "Shit, shit, shit," he cried before he hammered the bottom locker with his injured fist.

"Damon, stop it!" Caroline cried, pulling away from me. Her eyes had gone wide as she gaped at Damon's hand. "Nik, we need to get him to the nurse's office. He's bleeding." She lifted Damon's hand to show me. Yes. My dear friend had managed to tear up his appendage and did not even seem to notice as red droplets began to dot the floor.

"Damon, you're such an idiot," Bonnie said with a shake of her head.

"Thanks, Bon," Damon muttered. His head fell forward as our little quartet made its way down the hall and past onlookers who gawked and whispered behind their hands at us. Junior year was turning out to be quite memorable indeed.

~0~

"I was thinking," I began during lunch.

"Yup," Damon shoved his spoon into his Jell-O cup and twirled it around with his good hand. His right one was bandaged up like something from _The_ _Mummy_ and his left hand seemed to not enjoy having to do the tasks that its partner usually performed. However, Damon did not seem to care. His eyes drifted across the room to where Elena had chosen to sit with some girls we didn't really know that well.

"Still feeling sorry for yourself instead of acting like a man and saying 'Sorry?'" Bonnie inquired, sitting her tray down next to me while Caroline went to sit next to Damon and across from me.

"Shouldn't you be using this period to float pencils while your hot blonde friend complains about her older boy toy?" Damon demanded, glaring at Bonnie. "Remember, Bonnie, living vicariously through your friends will help you through the loneliness of your middle age when you've moved onto to sacrificing your cats to your hell goddess."

"Shut up, Damon!" Bonnie snarled. Her shoulders rose and she began to toy with her mashed potatoes. Why Bonnie hadn't taken an interest in a boy, or a girl, was a loss to me. Even Matt had developed a crush on the school's mascot. No one knew who resided under the Timberwolf uniform but Matt had made it his mission to find out.

Caroline looked to me, "How is your day going?" she asked me.

"Uneventful, love. However, I thought of a way to remedy that," I inhaled and waited until Bonnie and Damon looked up. "I believe that we should go ahead and take Wes up on his offer."

"You want to go to his party?" Caroline's brows went up and a grin lit up her face. "Could be fun?"

"No!" Damon snapped. He shook his head. "No way am I going to a party with that jackass," he grumbled before taking a bite of his Jell-O.

"I will." Bonnie said, jutting her chin out. "I already did all my homework in study hall. I have an outfit I haven't worn yet. And…I have no plans for tonight."  
"Or the next fifty years," Damon muttered loud enough for the rest of us to hear.

Bonnie shot Damon a dark look which ended with sparks lighting up and Caroline taking off her shoe to put them out. "Bonnie, no magic around the Muggles!" Caroline whispered, sending Bonnie a sharp look complete with "Are you out of your mind?" eyes.

Bonnie shrugged and looked at her food. "You wonder what's in the meatloaf surprise?"

"What doesn't kill ya," Damon retorted finishing his Jell-O. "Good luck with the meat which is probably ground-up-drop-outs. And good luck with the party which will end with someone floating in the pool in the morning. One phone call to the cops. Someone doing the walk of shame. Count me out." He got to his feet, collected his tray and left us.

Turning to Caroline, I gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, love."

"You're making him come," Caroline told me.

"How?" My brows went upward. "You know how he is."

"Fine," Caroline's eyes wandered to the mystery meat. Then a smile appeared on her face. She turned back to me. "I dare you to 'borrow' Damon's car; so we can go to the party. Wherever the Camaro is…"

"Damon is not far behind," I replied. I grabbed Caroline's face and kissed her forehead. "My evil genius. Never work against me."

"Not this week," Caroline replied, tugging me downward to give me a quick kiss.

Shooting to my feet, I went after my friend. I had a pair of keys to snatch before the end of the day.

~0~

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked as she came out to join me and Caroline.

"He's not coming," Caroline told Elena. "Hurry up, Next stop is Bonnie's house." She called out through her cupped hands.

"O-kay," Elena gave me a look as she climbed into the back of Damon's car. "You know, he'll find you and kill you both for this. He cares more about this car than he cares about, like, everything."

Caroline glanced at me. "Not everything," she said before turning the music up.

Elena did not have much to say on the way to Bonnie's. "Did you just hate the way Mrs. Richardson kept telling us about all those dead people in history class. I mean, we get it already," Caroline said. "I just hate hearing about the Civil War. Over. And over. And over, again."

"We do live in the South, Caroline," Elena replied. "It's kind of a thing that people talk about."

"But it happened. And it's been over forever. There are a billion things that have happened since. Why can't we talk about those things! I want to talk about the new mall being built in Richmond."

"Is that part of history?" I inquired, pulling up in front of Bonnie's house.

"Duh!" Caroline cried, turning to me and shaking her head. "It's about economics, Nik. New businesses. Development into a wasteland of an economy." She rolled her eyes. "I read the by-lines on the news crawl. Sometimes."

"They opened a Starbucks," Elena whispered to me with a grin.

"Shut up, E-len-a!" Caroline cried, pushing the passenger side door open and exiting the car. She bounced up the walk as I exited the car and helped Elena out of the back.

Bonnie came out of the house to greet us. "Bye, Grams! I won't stay out too late!" Bonnie called as Shelia Bennett gave us all a long look.

"Have a good time, sweetie," Shelia said, waving to her granddaughter. "You be careful, young man," she told me.

My eyes widened and I wondered what that meant but the elder Bennett had already closed the door.

I did not have much time to ponder Shelia Bennett's warning because someone had begun to shout at us as a bicycle came flying down the walk along with a raven-haired boy who was huffing and puffing. "Ni-klaus Mik-ael-son!" Damon shouted at me.

"Get in the car!" I shouted to the others and we took off in the direction of Damon's car as he pedaled toward us, a look of rage on his face.

Elena made it first. Her desire not to have to talk to or generally engage with Damon seemed to propel her forward. She jerked the passenger side door, flung the seat forward and heaved her body into the back. Bonnie was not far behind as she hopped in behind her friend. Caroline was right behind them, shoving the seat back and plopping down before she slammed the door in Damon's face. He growled as she slammed the lock shut.

Now, it was just Damon and I out on the lawn. "Bloody hell!" I cried, seeing the look of rage on my best friend's face.

"You! Took! My! CAR!" Damon roared at me. His eyes flashed with rage as his hands balled into fists. "I had to take Stefan's bike!" He hooked a thumb at the discarded bike. "It had a flat tire. I had to plump the damned thing. And then I rode to Care's place. Liz was kind enough to invite me in for lemonade and cookies but I had to make an excuse and not tell her I had to go and kill my best friend!"

Shaking my head, I smirked back at Damon. "Well, then I suppose you'll have to catch me first."

"What?" Damon demanded, his anger overtaking him as I ran to the left. He moved to block me when I dodged back to the right. Running as fast I could, I threw myself in the air and slid across the roof of Damon's car.

"Klaus!" Caroline called out, she pushed the driver's side door open and I slid behind the wheel.

Damon let out a howl of rage, moving to stand in front of the car as I plunged the key into the ignition. "You're not leaving here, Nik!" he shouted at me.

"Sorry, Damon." I shrugged before backing up and spinning the wheels around in a wide U-turn.

"Niiiiiikkkkkk!" Damon shouted after us as I began to drive away. I watched my friend in the rearview mirror as he pushed the bike upward with his good hand. He mounted the bike and moved to follow us.

Turning the wheel, I stopped at the corner. Damon screeched to a stop. "What are you doing?" he shouted at us.

"Get in the car," I called, waving.

Elena groaned. "You are kidding me," she said as I popped the trunk.

Damon put Stefan's bike in the trunk before he joined us inside the car and glowered at me. "You're going to pay for this," he told me. And so I would, just not how he thought I would.

~0~

I stopped in front of the sprawling home of Wes Maxfield's family, a so-called vacation home only two miles from Mystic Falls, nowhere near a beach that most people would think of a vacation home. This place seemed to be more about land and privacy. It gave a sense of unease. However, the other students who were headed for the front porch did not seem to mind.

"There's a Jacuzzi and an inside pool. They heat it during the winter," one girl said as she passed us by.

"Sounds cool," Caroline whispered to me. "Wonder how many guest bedrooms there are?"

My eyebrows went up. Could this be the night that Caroline and I had sex? My heart began to pound in my chest. Somehow I'd always envisioned something a bit more romantic than sex in a guest room, where a stranger might walk in on us and the sound of someone's cousin murdering a bass guitar played in the background were not on the list.

"Perhaps," I muttered.

Bonnie chose that moment to take off the heavy-for-this-time-of-the-year jacket she'd been wearing, off. Underneath she was wearing a halter top and a skirt. A short skirt that made me want to put the jacket back on her.

"Wow, Bonnie! You look hot!" Caroline exclaimed, laughing.

Bonnie blushed and pushed her shoulders back. "Thanks."

Damon cocked his head to the side. "I guess that's what you wear to a party." He followed Bonnie toward the porch while Elena's lower lip puckered out and she folded her arms over her chest.

"This is not going to go well," Caroline muttered to me.

I did not have a chance to react before we entered the house and the music screamed at us as we entered. "You made it!" Wes appeared from the crowd like he'd been waiting for us. "Lena, you are looking gorgeous as usual. Caroline, pretty girl, thank you for coming. And who is this…" His eyes went up and down Bonnie's body in a way that again made me want to cover Bonnie up and call her a cab.

"This is Bonnie," Caroline said. "You remember her." She took hold of Bonnie by the shoulders and smiled at Wes.

Wes' brows went up. "Ah. Yes. You were wearing jeans and that little T-shirt yesterday. What did it say?"

"Bite me," Bonnie told him with a smile. Then she strode past Wes.

Wes let out a shocked laugh. "I like her." Then he turned back to the rest of us. "You all need drinks. Jesse!" he shouted.

One of the boys from the sophomore class appeared. "Yeah, Wes?"

"Can you get my friends some drinks?" Wes asked.

"Sure." Jesse disappeared.

"How nice to have friend-servants," I said to Damon who was not listening to me. He was watching Elena.

Soon Jesse re-appeared with our drinks. "One for you. You. And you." He handed me mine last and I glanced at the drink. I would have preferred to serve myself. Caroline had begun to drink hers so I threw caution to the wind. Stupid mistake.

"Dance with me!" Caroline cried. She had a goofy smile on her face and I could not resist her charms.

"Sorry, Damon," I said, shoving my drink into his chest, I allowed my tipsy girlfriend to drag me into the middle of the living room so we could dance. "I love you," she whispered into my ear.

"I love you, too!" I whispered back.

We continued to dance as Damon finished his drink and mine.

Elena and Wes were talking and then he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. I could see Damon was about to lose it, again. "Caroline, let's save Damon from himself, shall we?"

"Sure." Caroline said. "Jesse, can I have another drink!" she shouted through her cupped hands.

"Sure!" Jesse nodded and went to find us more drinks. He came back and Caroline and I each took one before we made our way over to Damon. "Come on, Damon. Let's explore. We'll find Elena later." I took hold of Damon and dragged him off before he could argue. "I hear there's a Jacuzzi somewhere 'round here," I heard a slight slur to my words as I took another sip of my drink but did not worry about it.

We went up to the back of the house to find an attached deck and a Jacuzzi. Too many people were in it at that moment. "Boring," Caroline said. She dragged us up to the second floor. "Oh, this hallway is suuuuuppppppeerrrrr long."

"You're a little bit wasted," Damon said, taking her half-full cup and wagging a finger at her. He drained the rest of the cup. "In-door pool. Wait. Is that a tennis court? Why doesn't my boarding school house have a tennis court?" He pressed his face against the glass.

"I want to go swimming!" Caroline cried, running away from me.

"Caroline!" I hurried after Caroline who had already taken her shoes off and had begun to unzip her dress before she darted into the pool room.

Shaking my head, I followed Caroline into the pool room to find a lot of drunk classmates and more music turned up to the sky. Bonnie sat on a deck chair surrounded by a throng of boys.

"Nik, Enzo's here!" Caroline called. She was already in the pool with the boy of my nightmares.

"What?" I demanded. I looked down to find a grinning Enzo in a pair of swim trunks waving to me. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"I got an invite," Enzo called back. "Come, Caroline, let's play hide and seek."

"No!" I shouted. "Caroline, darling. You remember what you wanted to look for before?" I called, kneeling down by the poolside.

Caroline swam over to me. "Um… No…" She grinned and shook her head.

"Guest room," I said.

"Oh…" Caroline nodded, a smile on her face. "Okay." She reached up and I held out a hand. Then she jerked me into the pool and laughed as I surfaced. "Hello, Nik."

"Hello, Caroline," I replied, picking her up and setting her on the ledge. "Let's go." I pushed myself up. Along the way, we collected her things. Damon was still staring at the tennis court.

Dragging Caroline up to the third floor, I pushed a door open before locking it behind us. Caroline walked over to the bed and fell onto her back. "Nik," she called, waggling a finger at me.

"Yes, Caroline," I made my way over to her and laid down, watching her chest move up and down. "I don't want this to be our first time. You're drunk."

"So are you," Caroline told me, reaching for the zipper of my pants.

"I know," I told her. "Let's wait a bit longer."

"Fine," Caroline groaned. She slid from under me. "I'm going to go down and get a glass of water. Be back soon."

"Okay," I nodded. Closing my eyes, I did not intend to go to sleep.

~0~

"Hello, and thank you for riding Delta. We will be arriving in Tokyo, Japan, in five minutes. Please, buckle your seatbelts," someone was saying as I awoke. Blinking, I found myself face-to-face with a surly baby who I did not know and a business man.

"What the bloody hell?" I groaned. _How did I get here?_

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaroline experience the joys of babysitting. On with the show…**

Chapter 5: We're Ankle-Deep in Babies

Doing a favor for a friend. Sure. Do a favor for the friend because said friend said you wouldn't be able to last a week doing the favor… Well, let's just say I began to yearn for my short stay in Tokyo. And, no, I still do not know how to speak Japanese. However, I did learn how to make some rather lovely origami cranes in the airport while I made sure that Damon got me the bloody hell home without my family knowing where I was. It also gave me time to run through a series of revenge plots I intended on using against Enzo. And, Wes, who I felt must also have played a part in the sudden trip across the world. But first, my dare…

"You wouldn't last a week," Bonnie scoffed, rolling her eyes. She flipped a page in her book.

I cocked my head to the side and examined the title. Nothing I'd heard of before. A random work of literature that had seen better days given the state of the book's spine. "Are you reading that for fun?"

"Yes." Bonnie shot me a withering look. "What do you want, Klaus?"

"I am offering to do you a favor. In turn, I only ask that you stay true to the deal we made earlier." Bonnie's brows lifted and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Fine." Bonnie returned her attention to the novel. "Enjoy the spit-up."

Rolling my eyes, I turned and left the room. Bonnie's Grams was sipping a cup of tea in the living room. "Good-bye," I called to her with a smile.

"Good luck with your week, Niklaus. You're going to need it." Shelia Bennett's eyes gleamed as she looked at me over the edge of her tea cup and I felt she was trying to warn me of something. But I was in a hurry. So I didn't take the time to ask her what she knew. That was my first mistake for the week.

~0~

"Nik!" Damon came careening into my room with a look of wild excitement. "You'll never believe what happened!" He told me, throwing himself down on my bed while I tried to go back to sleep. "Nik! Wake up, man!"

"What?" I grumbled, pressing my face deeper into my pillow.

"Kat! She's back!" Damon told me.

Lifting my head, I frowned and rolled my eyes. "And we're happy about this? Why?" Katherine Gilbert was not a friend. Not an enemy. Not anymore. But not on my top-ten list of people I desperately would want to come home.

"Because she's taking the club on a trip to Richmond!" Damon cried. "Apparently so meet some rich people and she's going to be house-sitting this week. She's going to be making the house into our own private sanctuary. That means I get the hell away from the school. And NO Wes Maxfield!"

Sitting up, I rubbed at my blurry eyes. "Oh?" My mind started working through details. "We can't all just get up and leave for Richmond…" I realized there were a number of things my club members were not supposed to do, but we'd done anyway. For the entire club to take a week off from school and our day-to-day lives would be nothing.

Then it dawned on me that I couldn't go. "Damon, Bonnie dared me to take over her babysitting duties for the week."

"She what?" Damon demanded. He leapt off the bed. "No! Nik! I can't go to Richmond for a week without you! This is… Shit!" He ran a hand through his hair and rolled his eyes. "First, Enzo ships you to China –"

"Japan!" I retorted, shaking my head at Damon.

"Whatever," Damon shrugged.

Sighing, I stopped myself from telling Damon that he really did not want to make that mistake with people who took great exception to mistaking the two. Rather than giving my friend a history lesson, I decided to deal with what I could. "Is Elena coming?"

"She's already packed her bags. How do you think I found out?" Damon asked me, going over to pull out one of my drawers and to begin throwing clothes at me. A pair of jeans smacked me in the face. "So, we're being stuck with Bon Bon, but no Nik. This sucks. Caroline is gonna go nuclear on all of us."

Crossing my legs, I ran my hands through my hair. "A dare is a dare, Damon." Yes, I could pass one dare off to another member of the club but I could only do that once in an entire year. And no matter how exciting this trip to Richmond might sound; I believed that I might need to invoke my pass-a-dare card some other time.

"You'll make my apologies for me?" I inquired, pushing off the side of the bed and grabbing the long-sleeved shirt that Damon had thrown on the floor.

"Yeah." Damon kicked at my rug. "You're want to hang out with a bunch of blubbering babies who can barely speak instead of hanging out with me and Care all week?" His shoulders fell.

I moved to grab him by the shoulders. "I'll be there during the weekend, mate. Count on it." I shot Damon a smirk that made him cheer up.

"You'd better be there. Or I'll have to come and spring ya from the rug rats." Damon swung on a heel toward my bedroom door. "Have fun. I have to go show my dad how bad my flu is by puking on his new shoes."

~0~

My first stop on my babysitting tour would be the Gilberts. Lifting my hand, I knocked on the door and waited. After a long moment Miranda Gilbert appeared at the door with a smile on her face. I wondered how happy she would be if she found out that the sudden "outbreak of the flu" was a hoax so that her youngest daughter and her son could run off with her eldest daughter and their friends to hang out in a house, miles away, and unsupervised my adults?

"Come in, Klaus," Miranda said, waving for me to enter the home. "I'm just getting the bags together."

"Alright." I nodded and entered the home. The smell of baking bread fill the house. So did the low wail of a young female. Nadia came skidding around a corner in her PJs. The moment she saw me, her eyes welled and she let out a scream before she turned and ran away. Great. The kid hated me. And she was only four going on thirty.

"Nadia!" Miranda shouted. "Put your top back on!" she cried and I could hear the sound of the frayed mother of three and grandmother of two shouting and running after her oldest grandchild. Like mother, like daughter.

Another wail could be heard in the house. Only this one was closer. I found Davina sitting in her car seat. She was only two and her face turned red with the effort of trying to make everyone on the planet aware of her presence.

"If you stop crying, I'll give you ice cream," I told her, going to stand over the car seat. Davina blinked back at me, frowning before she puckered her tiny pink lower lip at me and then blew a spit bubble at me.

"Very nice, young lady," I retorted as the sound of Miranda's coming back into the room came to my ears. I turned to find her carrying Nadia under one arm. Nadia had her arms folded over her chest.

"I Want Bonnie!" Nadia cried. "Not a stink boy!" She pouted as Miranda placed her in her stroller. "I'm too big for that, nanna!" she cried, shooting her grandmother an imploring look. "Let me walk!"

"I would. But you might run off," Miranda picked up the car seat and then placed Davina inside the front of the stroller. "You'll bring them back at seven. Not later than that." She did not have to remind me.

~0~

Hitting the buzzer, I waited for someone to let me inside the gate and I pushed the stroller up the walk to the front door of the Boarding School. "Klaus, how was Japan?" Enzo asked me, swinging the door open and grinning at me.

"It was marvelous," I retorted. "I know which fish dish I plan on serving you next time you visit."

Enzo stared at me before moving aside. "Joshua. Your babysitter is here, mate!"

Joshua was only three but he seemed a bit older as he ran down the stairs with a nap sack on his back. "Coming!" he cried. "Hi!" he shouted at Davina. Davina strained against her car seat, trying to free herself to hug her friend.

Josh unbuckled the car seat and I let out a groan as Davina climbed out of the stroller and they hugged each other, wobbling and nearly falling over. Enzo smirked at me as if to say that I would fail miserably at caring for these children and I rolled my eyes before nodding toward the door. "Come on then. We're having ice cream at my place."

"Good luck with that, Nicole!" Enzo called as I pushed the stroller and cursed him under my breath. If murder was legal…

~0~

Arriving at my own front step, I tugged out my key and unlocked the door. Inside, I found that my father was all ready to go out. "Hello, Niklaus. You're sure that you'll be alright?" he asked me, again. He'd asked me thirty times that morning. His eyes scanned my young charges.

"Not a problem. Have fun, Father," I replied with a smile. Inside I was seething. My father was going on a date tonight. I did not like it. But I would not show it.

"The number of the restaurant is on the fridge," Father told me.

"I know." I retorted, shooing the children inside.

"There is food in the fridge and money on the counter if you'd like to order something." Father patted his pockets. "Where is my wallet?"

I watched him find his wallet, roll his eyes and then send me a happy smile. "I'll be back soon."

"Right. Bye." I waved Davina's little hand and she pulled away before running from me.

Father left us alone and I turned to find that not one of the children was in sight. "Nadia! Davina! Joshua! Henrick! Aiden!" Nothing. "Ice cream!"

A giggle sounded from the around a corner and I groaned. Maybe I was in over my head. "Come and find us!" Nadia cried. Yes. I was definitely in over my head.

~0~

On the second day of babysitting The Five Little Terrors, as I had dubbed them, I found myself sitting on the floor wanting to cry. Nadia levitated above my head while Davina hummed to herself. Henrick had something like Play-Doh stuck up his nose. Aiden and Josh were making a new appetizer using a combination of marshmallows and raw spaghetti noodles and were trying out the food before gagging and then laughing their heads off.

"Henrick," I called to my little brother over the sounds of the younger children. "Why have you done that? You're seven. Aren't you a tad old to be doing such things?"

Henrick reached up his nose and pulled out the Play-Doh. "They wouldn't let me come with them on the trip, Nik. And it makes the little ones laugh." He frowned and stared at me as Josh moved to shove a new clump of Play-Doh up my little brother's nose.

The doorbell rang and I sighed. Rolling my eyes, I headed for the door. Time to find out what fresh hell someone would like to visit upon me. Swinging the door open, I intended on telling the visitor we would not be buying whatever they were selling when a pair of arms were flung around my neck.

"Caroline?" I cried, wrapping my arms around my girlfriend's waist. "What are you doing here?" Pulling back, I reached up to press a curl behind her ear.

Caroline grinned at me. "You thought I would really leave you here—all alone—with five little kids?" She rolled her eyes. "I brought a camera."

Shaking my head, I heard the kids let out a series of happy shouts at the sight of Caroline. "Car!" Davina shouted and then Nadia dropped toward the floor at an alarming speed with her sister's attention diverted toward their new babysitter.

"Shit!" I cried, racing forward. I fell on my stomach, my arms thrust upward and somehow a tiny brunette landed in my cupped arms. "Thank you!" I cried to whatever could hear me and had chosen to stop the child from being hurt.

Nadia giggled and rolled over. She patted my head and stood up. "That was fun! Do it again!"

"No!" I groaned, closing my eyes.

"Who wants to make chocolate chip cookies?!" Caroline asked the children, placing her hands on her hips. I could not emphasize enough how happy I was that she had arrived.

"Me!" the children cried, hopping up and down. Even Henrick seemed pleased with the idea.

"Follow me!" Caroline cried, waving for the children to follow her. She winked at me.

~0~

On day number three, Nadia found a box of matches. That night I Googled child pyromaniacs and felt a pit grow in my stomach.

~0~

On day number four, Caroline and I collected the children together. We were planning on making things easier that night. "Pizza and movies." Caroline told me during lunch. She seemed pleased with the plan. "I already made some brownies this morning before my mom went to work."

"No wonder you look so tired." I ran a hand through her curls and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She did look weary. Perhaps I should not be so selfish and I should advise her to return to the others' party. "Do you believe the others are enjoying their vacation from all of this?" I asked her.

Caroline nodded. "Damon and Elena were making up until Katherine tried to drown Damon in the Jacuzzi. Still. I think they're having fun." She offered me a weak smile.

"And you're enjoying our time together?" I watched Caroline nod. I wondered if this were true. However, I did not intend on pushing her.

~0~

"The pizza should be here soon," Caroline said, hanging up the phone. Davina bounced on the couch and then leaned over, almost falling as she picked up part of a brownie and tossed it at Nadia.

Nadia let out a cry of fury and lifted a hand. She picked up the brownie bit and threw it back. It landed on Caroline's top. Caroline's eyes rounded at the sight of the chocolate staining her white blouse. She'd only bought it a month ago and used her saved up allowance to buy the top which had been on generous sale. Feeling pained, I saw Caroline work through a series of emotions before she let out a sigh. "It's just a shirt," she said. But her smile was strained. "I'm going to go up and try to clean this mess up."

I nodded as I turned on a DVD. Henrick rolled his eyes. "That's a baby movie, Nik!" Henrick cried, trying to take the remote from me.

"Princesses!" Nadia cried, sending Henrick a dirty look. "I want Princesses!"

"Boring!" Aiden cried, moving to sit with Henrick. Josh seemed torn between Aiden and Davina who had stuck her left foot in her mouth and tried to roll off the couch.

Picking Davina up, I set her on the floor and hoped she did not decide to run or crawl off into the kitchen. If only there were a lock on the stove.

A series of footfalls made me aware that Caroline was coming back down to join us. "Everything alright, love?" I asked, not looking up until her silence made me turn my head.

At the sight of the unshed tears in Caroline's eyes, I shot to my feet. "Henrick, watch the children. We'll be back in a minute." I made my way over to Josh who now laid on the floor and was contemplating the ceiling.

Caroline led the way up to my room. Once we were inside, I closed the door and Caroline turned to bury her face in my chest. "It's ruined! My blouse! It's ruined, Nik!" she cried, shaking her head and staring in misery at the top. "I waited for six months to be able to buy it. Look at it!" she shook her head before pushing away from me and making her way over to my bed to sit down and sniffle.

"Caroline, darling. I will find you the loveliest top that your heart desires," I told her, going to kneel down in front of her. "Tell me, and it shall be yours."

Caroline sniffled. "Well, there is this one…" A tiny smile began to play at the corners of her lips and I smiled back, pushing off the floor and moving on top of her. Her lips found mine and my hands slid under her top.

We were both groaning when there was a knock on the door and then Henrick came in. "Nik! I can't find Aiden!" he shouted. His cheeks were bright pink.

"What?" I cried, grabbing my own shirt from the floor as Caroline slammed her arms over her bare chest.

"Go!" Caroline told me.

Without another thought, I rushed out of my bedroom and ran down the stairs, taking them three at a time. "Aiden!" I shouted, looking around the living room. My next stop was the kitchen. Nothing. Opening the door to the basement, I peered inside the room. Nothing.

Going back into the living room, I stared at the other children. Davina had begun to suck her thumb and pointed at the front door.

"Oh, no!" I groaned.

Caroline came running down the stairs in one of my T-shirts. "Did you find him?" she asked as I ran out the open front door.

My eyes went from my left to the right. I saw Aiden following a red ball into the street. And a car coming around the corner. "No! No!" I cried. My nephew was about to be hit by the idiot driver.

Racing toward the street, I felt the breath catch in my throat when something appeared in front of the car and then the something and Aiden rolled out of the way. My hands were on my knees when I saw Elijah lying on his back. His son in his arms. "What in the hell were you doing!" Elijah shouted at me, causing Aiden to scream in shock and fear.

My head hung as I looked at the little boy who nearly got killed due to my negligence.

~0~

On day number five, Anna and Lexi came through the door. "You rang?" Lexi called, hands on her hips.

"How do you deal with all of this?" I demanded, waving at the five children. There were more of us when the teen vampires showed up to care for us.

"It wasn't easy," Anna said, picking up Nadia who had been jumping up and down.

"And you guys made it really hard with the dare club," Anna added with a smile as Josh pushed a toy truck into her foot and then offered her an innocent expression. "Don't you two have a party to get to?" she asked me and Caroline.

Shaking our heads, Caroline and I curled up on the end of the couch, heads inclined together. "We're good. But can you get us something to drink. Maybe a sandwich. The remote is so far away," Caroline moaned as Lexi rolled her eyes at Caroline's holding out an arm with a strained look on her face.

"And you think our job ended?" Anna quipped with an eye roll. "It's like we never finished."

"I can see that," I mumbled as my eyes began to close. I only woke up when I found Aiden stuffing Play-Doh up my nose and giggling about it. It was pretty funny, I was thinking before I tucked the little boy under one arm and kissed the top of his head. I'd never take for granted these moments again.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. And so begins one of the ships I teased back in our first story… On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Cupid Isn't My Role in This Play

On a quiet Friday morning, I decided to head over to the Salvatore School. Damon and I were going to ride to the high school together and plot out our plans for the weekend. We would probably work out some dares to torture less senior members of the club with. Perhaps we could dare Bekah to send the high school football team to an alternate dimension for the weekend. Or maybe just Wes Maxfield and his cronies. Or perhaps we could track down Elijah at the Grill, and dare him to do something, like take a day off. Shocking. However, when I got to the school, my thoughts formed one plan: To stop Enzo from spending time with Caroline.

One of the youngest members of the school let me in. I didn't know his name but I offered him a quick smile and a pat on the shoulder before making my way up the familiar stairs. Heading down the hallway, my head so full of my plans I barely noted a feminine squeal coming from Enzo's room. "Stop!" the girl giggled.

Shaking my head, I continued on my way until my brain retraced the sound. Caroline? What the bloody hell? Without another thought, my feet whirled back around and I made my way back to Enzo's room. I did not bother to knock on the door before I grabbed the knob and shoved it open. My eyes widened when I saw Caroline.

"Nik!" Caroline cried. She twirled in a circle and held out the bottom of a blue dress. It was made of an expensive-looking velvet and my eyes narrowed, flitting over to where Enzo laid on his bed. He seemed amused. His lips were twisted upward in a carefree smile. His brows went up when our eyes connected.

"Enzo found this at a second-hand store and he said he thought I'd love it. Which I do!" Caroline clapped her hands together, perfectly oblivious to my rising anger.

"Oh, I bet he did," I seethed.

Caroline's smile fell. "What's wrong?" she demanded, her hands going to her hips.

"Nothing, love. If you like it…" I looked from Caroline to Enzo. "I'm sure my own present will compliment it well." My own mouth turned into a smirk as Enzo's smile cracked. Yes.

Caroline's eyes widened. "You got me a birthday present?" she cried, clapping her hands together and she came running to me. She shoved her hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Where is it?" she demanded. Then she asked me to unzip my book bag. "I can't find anything, Nik."

"That's because I put it somewhere safe. Until the day," I replied. Caroline moved to face me and I cupped her face. Her eyes were alight and I leaned down to press my lips to hers. I could not believe I forgot Caroline's birthday. I had less than a week to accomplish the goal of finding her the perfect birthday present before she figured out what a liar I was.

In the meantime, I intended on dealing with my Enzo problem. Curling my arms around Caroline's waist, I leaned down and whispered it her ear. "I came to see if Damon wanted to give us a ride to school. You wouldn't mind hunting him down for me, would you, love?"

"Nope." Caroline replied and she turned to wiggle her fingers at Enzo. "Bye!" Then she bounced out of the room.

Now, that we were alone, I stared at Enzo. "I would appreciate it if you would not buy my girl gifts, mate."

Enzo let out a quiet laugh. "Caroline seems happy. That's all I care about." He pushed himself off the side of the bed and came to stand in front of me. His eyes dared me to take a swing at him.

"Caroline is happy." I watched Enzo's eyes light up as if I had told him a joke.

"Yes. I'm sure she is. She could be happier though." Enzo turned from me. "And I believe you'll be late for school. Might want to hurry along now. Don't want to keep her waiting. I know I wouldn't."

My fists balled and it took all of my restraint to walk out of the room without attacking Enzo.

By the time I found Caroline and Damon, I'd counted to a thousand and found myself calm enough not to throw someone down the stairs. "Hey, buddy. What are you up to tonight?" Damon asked me, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

"I have a new project I need to think through. Sorry, Damon," I replied. But I was not sorry. I would be quite content when my plan worked out.

~0~

During lunch, I dragged Bonnie Bennett into an empty classroom. "Bonnie, it is time for you to enact my dare. It can- not wait any longer."

"What dare?" Bonnie asked me, folding her arms over her chest.

"You. And Enzo." I watched Bonnie roll her eyes.

"I don't even like that guy. And this is just going to end in his sending you to Guatemala or something." Bonnie shook her head.

"I can't use Elena. Bekah's too young. Kat's in college. Which leaves you, Bonnie. It also means you may dare me to do something to my great displeasure," I added the last part knowing that it would intrigue the young witch. I just hoped she did not turn me into something. Worst case scenario: A Disney Prince. Best case scenario: a snail. Or maybe she would force me to do something I did not like to do, like babysitting, or hanging out with Tyler for more than a couple of hours.

Slowly, Bonnie began to smile. Yes. The Disney Prince might be a better case scenario than I'd thought. Perhaps the girl would do much worse to me than even I could imagine. "Fine. I'll do it. Just remember: You told me I got a dare. And if you really want me to do this—you can't pass your dare onto someone else—you have to do it yourself."

"Right then." I held out a hand and Bonnie crossed the space to shake my hand. "A dare's a dare. No going back." Our eyes met and reminded I myself this was for my relationship. And all that mattered was Caroline.

"So, when does this begin?" Bonnie asked me.

"Monday morning," I replied. Caroline's birthday would be that Friday. This meant Bonnie had four days to make Enzo fall in love with her. And then keep him on the hook until Caroline was graduating and we moved to another state for college. I didn't tell Bonnie the last part. I thought she might not agree to that long an engagement with a boy she did not like that much, let alone see herself falling in love with…

~0~

The weekend came and went and I spent most of it talking to Bonnie about how best to seduce Enzo. "That skirt is too obvious," I said as Bonnie showed me the outfit she planned on wearing on Monday morning.

"What?" Bonnie looked at the black mini skirt and frowned at me.

"You want to be more subtle. You're not looking for a boyfriend. You're just Bonnie Bennett. Happily single and not interested in whatever any man is selling." I shot her a winning smile.

Bonnie blinked at me before she threw her skirt in my face. "You're impossible."

"I know what Enzo likes: Caroline. All you have to do is make it clear you're unavailable but place yourself in his field of vision. You're a pretty girl. He's not blind. If you're around enough; he'll notice." I consulted my notebook. "You're going with me to the school on Monday morning. Monday afternoon. Happen to show up Tuesday afternoon to pick up Josh for babysitting duty. Wednesday—"

Bonnie held up her hands. "Hey! Wait a minute! I have a life! I have projects of my own! I have friends! And school work! I can't live my life around becoming Enzo's love interest!"

"Yes, you can," I retorted. My brows came together. "Bonnie, you agreed to the dare. Now, you have to see it through. It's only until Caroline's birthday party."

"You're insane," Bonnie snapped. "That's it. I'm just going to make a potion. It'll mean this ends much quicker."

"What if he becomes a love-sick stalker and tries to boil your bunny?" I felt amused.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't have a bunny."

Grinning, I shrugged. "If you want to use a short-cut, by all means, but don't complain to me when it backfires." My eyes went to my notebook and after a long moment, Bonnie stomped over and took my notebook. Her eyes skimmed the pages. "Are you kidding me? You've scheduled out my days from hour to hour!"

"It's called commitment, Bennett," I took my notebook back and closed it. "In? Or out?"

"I'm in. But you are going to deal with one hell of a dare, mister," Bonnie warned me. I simply smiled back at her. Whatever it would take I would do.

Monday morning arrived and I walked with Bonnie to the Salvatore School. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a book and opened it. Another novel I hadn't heard of. I didn't believe it was on any reading list any of my friends were expected to work our way through. I opened my mouth, thought better of it and then punched the doorbell.

One of the boys whose names I still did not know and did not care about greeted us. "Good morning."

"Morning," I replied cheerfully.

"Morning," Bonnie said. She flipped a page on her way past the boy.

Inside the school, I found boys going up and down the stairs. Damon was nowhere in sight but Enzo was chatting with a boy two years younger than he was when we stepped through the doors. He looked up from his position at the bottom of the stairs. "Klaus. You're here. Again. Caroline's not here."

"I am aware. She's with Elena Gilbert." I watched Enzo's smile still. He did not expect me to know where she was, nor who she was with. "Bonnie and I are here to collect Damon." I cocked my head at Bonnie who did not look up as she flipped a new page.

"Ah?" Enzo glanced at Bonnie. Her eyes were still on her book. His eyes moved over her jeans and her cute top that did not reveal much of her figure. "Bonnie?"

"Um?" Bonnie sighed. Her eyes lifted from the page of her book. She looked just a touch annoyed at being interrupted. "Yes. Can I help you with something?" she asked. Her eyes strayed back to the page and then to Enzo.

I could see Enzo trying to make sense of Bonnie's reaction. "Hello."

"Um. Hey." Bonnie nodded and then went back to her book.

Enzo nodded at the younger boy who ran off. Pushing himself to his feet, he moved to join us. He leaned over and peered at the cover of Bonnie's book. "Is it any good?"

"Yes. It is," Bonnie replied. She did not look at Enzo as she flipped to another page.

"That so?" Enzo folded his arms over his chest. "Can I borrow it?"

Finally, Bonnie stopped reading. She let out a surprised laugh. "Excuse me?"

"May I borrow the book? After you're done with it?" Enzo asked. A little smile appeared on his face.

"I guess. It's from the library," Bonnie replied. "As long as you have a card. You should be all set." She turned to me, "We're going to go find Damon?"

"Yes. We are." I shot Enzo a grin before Bonnie and I went up the stairs and down the hall.

"How was I?" Bonnie asked.

"Perfect," I replied with a smile.

On Tuesday, I followed Bonnie to the Salvatore School with a camera in her bag. She buzzed the doorbell and Enzo was the one to answer. "Oh, hello," she greeted him coolly. "I came here to pick up Josh."

"I know." Enzo replied. "Here's the little man now. Come here, Josh," Enzo scooped the shocked-looking toddler. "My, he's heavier than he looks." He chuckled. "Need help with getting him into the stroller?"

"No," Bonnie replied.

"Help with the gate?" Enzo added.

"Nope," Bonnie replied.

"Help with the babysitting?" Enzo added.

"Nope," Bonnie replied. "I'm kind of late."

"A ride to your next stop?" Enzo tried again.

"Global warming," Bonnie said. "Bye, Enzo."

Holding her arms, Bonnie took Josh and then walked away. I did not have to see the look on Enzo's face. I thought I already knew how he was feeling. It left me smiling.

Stretching and yawning on Wednesday morning, I found Damon coming into my room and leaning against my bed. "Nik, you haven't been daring anyone without me, have you?" He peered down at me through narrowed eyes.

"Why would I?" I inquired innocently before throwing my covers off and pushing off the opposite side of the bed.

"Funny. 'Cause this morning Enzo asked me for Bonnie Bennett's phone number. You wouldn't know anything about that? Huh?" Damon marched over to stand beside me while I pulled out a pair of jeans and button-down shirt. Stripping off my T, I thought about how answer.

Deciding on some form of the truth, I slid into the shirt and faced my friend while buttoning up. "Truth is, I don't like all the attention Enzo's been lavishing on Caroline and –"

Damon threw his hands up in the air. "So, that's what this is about?" he demanded, letting out a laugh. "You're foisting Enzo off on Bon Bon because you don't want him coming onto Care? Are you kidding me? Do you know what Caroline would do to you if she knew you had so little faith in her? Huh! She'd blow a freakin' fuse!" Going over to my bed, Damon pressed his hands to his face, muttering something under his hands.

"Damon, I am doing what I believe is in the best interests of my relationship. Can you honestly tell me, you would not do the same if you thought you could dissuade Wes Maxfield from his sudden fascination with Elena?" My brows arched as Damon sat up and glowered at me.

Getting to his feet, Damon came to point a finger in my face. "Wes is not a problem. But you're messing with Care. That is going to be a problem. And when you have a problem, it becomes my problem. And I have enough problems! I don't need your love triangle—square—is it a square if all the lines are connected? Ugh! Now, you've got me worrying about geometry! See what I mean, Nik, you're really messing things up here!"

"No, Damon. I am fixing things," I said. I placed my hands on Damon's shoulders. "Trust me. Everything is perfectly fine."

~0~

"Everything is not 'Perfectly fine!'" Bonnie Bennett yelled at me that afternoon. She stood behind the school and glowered at me. "He's got my phone number. He called and my Grams picked up the phone. Now, she wants to meet him! What have you done to me, Klaus!"

Bonnie's green eyes bore into mine and I felt a tiny prickle of guilt before I buried it deep, deep down and smiled in return. "It will be fine, Bonnie. I promise. He's simply developing a little crush. It's harmless. I promise. After he's gotten over his desire for Caroline; we can find him a new girl to chase about."

Bonnie blew out a breath. "You're going to pay for this, Mikaelson." Her tone made me gulp.

~0~

"Why in the bloody hell do you want to go to the library on a perfectly fine Thursday afternoon?" I complained as Caroline dragged me toward the front doors. I knew Caroline did read—on occasion—and not just the materials we were assigned—she actually did like to read. However, there were many things we could be doing on the day before her birthday. "Caroline, we could be making out in my room. Or having a picnic. Or making out—topless—in my room. There's no one else home right now," I whispered into her ear.

Caroline elbowed me gently. "Nik, not now. We're going to spy on someone." She tugged me into the library and then made a little sound before she dragged me toward the stacks. My eyes widened when I spotted Bonnie and Enzo by the counter. Bonnie seemed to be helping Enzo with something.

"Are you spying on Bonnie?" I tried to sound shocked. I wasn't shocked, I was worried that Caroline's presence might de-rail all my—Bonnie's—hard work. "Perhaps we should leave them –"

"No!" Caroline snapped. She whirled on her heel to stare at me, wide-eyed. "Bonnie. And Enzo! Think of the possibilities. So many double dates. Boys with sexy accents. It's too good!"

"Boys…" I rolled my eyes as Caroline returned to spying. "Oh, look, they're moving." She grabbed me by my collar and dragged me along behind her.

We trailed them for several feet before Bonnie pulled out a book and handed it to Enzo. "If you like mythical novels, you might like this," she said as he examined it."

Enzo cracked a smile. "Thanks for helping me get the card," he said. "It's my first."

"Your first library card?" Bonnie looked genuinely shocked.

"Well, I didn't have family who took me to the library. I'm an orphan. So, I suppose it's about time I got one of these." Enzo shrugged.

Caroline placed her hand over her heart. "Oh?" she cried.

"Yeah?" Bonnie looked like she might be falling for all of this when she inhaled and turned away. "Let's see what else they have…" Then she spotted us. "Caroline?"

"Caroline?" Enzo moved forward and I felt my face flush. "Fancy meeting you here…" Caroline moved to cross the distance and I watched, feeling annoyed as they spoke. It looked like my dare had failed.

~0~

The next day, I slipped Caroline's present into my pocket. I'd be paying this one off until I graduated from college, but I felt it was worth it. I hoped she felt the same. Inhaling, I looked in the mirror and then made my way downstairs. Caroline's birthday would be hosted at my house this year and I wanted everything to be perfect.

"It's Friday. Tomorrow, your dare begins," Bonnie warned me. I glanced down at her. She looked like she'd dressed up for more than Caroline's birthday but my dare was over. This wasn't for Enzo. I wondered who she had dressed up for but I needed to concentrate on Caroline tonight.

The door opened and Elena came in. "She's coming. Everyone hide!" she yelled at us.

Smirking, I went to stand by the door while Elena ran off and turned the lights off. There was a knock at the door and I opened the it. Daylight poured in and my smile dropped when I saw Enzo standing beside Caroline in a suit. "Hello, Klaus," he said with a grin.

"Enzo," I growled out before turning to Caroline. She was wearing his dress. My jaw tightened. "Come in, love!" I ushered her in and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to your party!"

The lights went on and everyone popped out. "Happy birthday, Caroline!" they shouted.

Caroline placed her hands over her mouth and giggled. "Thank you, Nik!" she cried, turning around and hugging me before running off to hug her friends.

As the night progressed music poured from the speakers and Liz brought out the red velvet cake that I made. I'd gone through fifteen tries before I got the recipe right. The cake looked stunning. Caroline's face glowed in the candle's light. She shot me a quick smile as she blew them out.

Elena was clapping and leaned into Damon. Stefan was teasing Bekah. Kol and Jeremy headed to the back of the house, probably intent on breaking another window. Henrik ate a slice of cake and looked bored.

I made my way over to Caroline. "Dance with me, love?" I inquired. Caroline nodded and she slipped her arms around my neck. "Where's my present, Nik?" she asked me.

"Check my pockets," I told her.

Caroline patted my pockets before she pulled out a velvet box and opened it to find a diamond bracelet. "Oh, my God! This is super-expensive."

"It is." I nodded, hoping she liked it.

"I love it," Caroline said. She leaned up on tip-toe to kiss me on the lips. I felt happier than I had in a long time. "Can you get us something to drink? I want more cake and then more dancing and then we can go make out."

"Sounds like a lovely plan," I replied with a smile. Leaving the birthday girl to talk to our friends, I went into the kitchen. My feet froze when I found Bonnie pinned to the counter as she and Enzo made out, her hands deep in his hair, his hands on her rear. "Perhaps later," I muttered to myself before heading back to Caroline. It looked as if my dare had worked out. Or did Bonnie use that potion after all…

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaus is about to have an out-of-body experience. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Freaky Monday

My plan to divert Enzo's attention from Caroline to Bonnie Bennett had worked out far better than I could have ever expected. By the end of the weekend, I'd begun to relax and blissfully fallen asleep without a worry about whatever toll the witch might extract from me. My mind slipped into a dark haze. My dreams were filled with romantic plans for Caroline and myself and new dares for the club. Upon waking, I stretched my limbs, still feeling serene. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and flipped my feet over the side of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

My mind was still half in my dream world. The sight of Caroline's warm smile made my heart beat a tiny bit faster. Blinking in front of the mirror, my heart began to race for an entirely different reason.

"What? Noooo!" I shouted. My hands ran over my straight dark locks. My brown eyes widened comically at my face. Not my face… Not my hands… Not my voice shouting in horror. Then my own body came running into the room and my hands went to my hips to scowl at me in an all-too-familiar manner.

"Niklaus, what have you done?" Elijah demanded. I felt a laugh bubble up in my new throat at the sound of my voice making his demand. "Get out of my body! This instant!" He continued. "I have to get to work in…" Elijah strode out of view. Correction, my body strode out of view. Then reappeared, seconds later, "I'm ten minutes late for my shift!" Elijah shouted at me. "That means I'm, in fact, half an hour late."

Glancing in the mirror, I rolled Elijah's eyes. "Correction, brother," I mimicked Elijah's tone. "I can be there in the next ten minutes."

"How?" Elijah demanded, tapping a foot which made me raise his eyebrows. "You still have to shower. Shave. Dress. And then drive to the Grill."

"No. All I have to do is drive to the Grill," I replied with a grin. I waltzed his body past my own and then looked around the room. "Where are the keys?"

"You don't drive, Niklaus!" Elijah cried.

"How would you like to do this, then?" I inquired. Smirking at my brother, I watched Elijah roll my eyes. "You're supposed to be at school in the next fifteen minutes. "And you haven't showered, dressed, or shaved."

"As if you care!" Elijah snarled at me. "This is not funny, Niklaus! I have matters to attend to! Bills to pay! A small child to raise! And…and…and…" Seeing my face with Elijah's usual look of frustration made me take pity on him.

"Alright. Don't worry. I'll call in and tell them I have the flu," I told Elijah. Elijah shook his head.

"That won't work," Elijah cried. "They depend on you! You're working toward becoming a manager!"

"Oh, so your new aspirations are to become a townie? Managing the Mystic Grill and never leaving this small town life?" I shook my head. What had happened to my big brother and all of his dreams?

The phone on Elijah's nightstand rang. "And that will be the manager, wanting to know where the bloody hell I am," Elijah muttered, half to me, half to himself as he made his way over to the nightstand to pick up the receiver.

Using my slightly longer legs—for the moment—I hurried after Elijah and snatched the phone up. "Hello?" I called into the receiver in my most Elijah-like tone. Elijah glowered at me and I had to look away. The sight of my own face, with that look would set me off.

"Give me the phone!" Elijah snarled out. My hand thrust forward, attempting to jerk the phone out of his hand. I batted it away. Again, I almost laughed at the sight of using Elijah's own limb, playing keep-away with him.

Elijah let out a groan as his manager began to speak to me, "Elijah, where are you? You're about to be late."

Nodding Elijah's head, I smirked at my brother before turning my head away and summoned my most Elijah-like response. "I'm terribly sorry. I must have forgotten to tell you that my son's mother is coming to collect him and somehow I lost track of time. You see, she's taking him all the way to New York and I won't see him for at least six months. It will be the first time we've spent this much time apart. I swear to you, this will not happen again…"

"Oh? Really." The manger let out a cough and I glanced at Elijah. My face had gone flushed and my fists were balled at my sides. Yes, he would be have lost it already if he didn't worry for this sorry excuse of a job. "Sorry to hear that. Did you want me to call around and see if anyone could cover the shift?"

"No. No. It's alright. I'll come in." I paused. "However, if there was any way I might be able to leave a bit early. Say around three…" Elijah grabbed me by the shoulder and shook his head.

The manager paused. "You've covered for so many people this month…why not. I'll ask around and let you know when you make it. See you in about twenty?"

"Make it fifteen," I retorted with a smile. Hanging up, I turned to Elijah, "See, not so bad. Now was I?"

Letting out a growl, Elijah turned my back on me and began to pace. "You're a fool, Niklaus. You have no idea why I've been doing what I've been doing…" Gritting my teeth, he raised my head to shoot me a fiery glare. "Find out how this happened and make sure it is reversed by tomorrow."

"Right," I replied. "Got to shower!" I called out, moving toward the bathroom and stripping Elijah's shirt as I went. "And you might want to hurry up. You're going to be late for school…Klaus." Now, I really did laugh. Today, I had three exams. No doubt I would see As for each one with Elijah taking a ride in my body.

"No more lies!" Elijah called to me as I turned the shower on. "Hayley is coming tomorrow."

I nodded. Elijah's mouth twisted into a smirk and I began to hum while I stepped into the shower. Today, I was an adult. It felt good and I thought I was going to have much more fun than being stuck at school today.

~0~

Once I arrived at the Mystic Grill, I found that the breakfast crowd had hit the place in force. The poor manager seemed over whelmed when I came in the door. "Elijah, thank God you're here. The new kid just started a fire. Arlene had the flu. And there are five tables who don't have their drink orders yet." He told me, shoving a stack of menus into my chest. "Can you seat these nice people while I check to make sure the place isn't burning down, again?"

With not so much as a "Thank you," the manager left me alone with the patrons who stared back at me. And while I'd seen Elijah wait on many a patron at the Grill, I'd never actually done this kind of job. "Hello," I said to them with a cheerful smile. "Let's see." My eyes went over the tables. "Looks like we've got to find some booths free," I told them.

"We actually need a table. Well, more than one. We've got more coming," one of the two people informed me.

"Right…" I looked around. "Okay. How about over here!" I moved across the room and had almost had a collision with a waitress. "Sorry," I muttered.

The waitress gave me a big grin. "That's not a problem," she told me with a wink. Ah, it seemed someone liked Elijah.

Grinning, I continued on my way. Two tables were set close together. "These look free," I told them. They sat down at one and the man stared at me. It took me longer than a second to realize they expected me to push them together. Handing them their menus, I pushed the tables together and then turned to leave.

"Don't you want our drinks order?" the young male asked. He looked to be about Elijah's age but acted like he was thirty and ran a Fortune-Five Hundred company. Given the state of his jeans, I'd say he was lucky if he ran the local hardware store. But Elijah's grin stayed in place.

"Yes, sir," I replied. Patting Elijah's apron, I found I did not have a pad of paper or a pencil on me. "Just a moment. I need something to write on."

"You can't remember it?" the male laughed and the female glanced at me and then at the table. Her lips fought to not curl into a smile. What a –

"Elijah!" the manager called, waving to Elijah from behind the counter. "I need you to pick up the orders for tables ten and sixteen!"

"Sorry. I have to go," I told the couple who just stared when I turned on Elijah's heel and walked away from them. I thought I heard something like, "Good luck with the tip, buddy," and decided they could go be attacked by werewolves for all I cared.

~0~

After three hours of Elijah's shift, I decided I'd rather return to the school and take the ACTs, the SATs and the LSATs, every day for a month, than endure one more minute of this toxic environment. People had no respect for how hard he worked. The manager of the Grill was going to keel over from a heart attack and the waitress who had a crush on Elijah stole my tips.

As if the day could not get worse, Wes Maxfield and his cronies decided to stop by during lunch period. They sat down at an outdoor table which happened to be in my area for the afternoon rush. Rush. That was a nice way of putting it. More like a marathon. Elijah's feet burned. His lower back felt like it might be in traction. And I didn't truly know what that was until now. And his stomach growled every couple of minutes. Wasn't he due a lunch break, too?

"Mikaelson!" Wes called out.

"Yes?" I replied, coming to the table.

Wes glanced at his buddies. "We'd like three milkshakes. Three orders of fries. Make sure they're fresh this time. Three burgers. And three cokes. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," I wrote all this down and started to walk away.

"Hey, man!" Atticus called after me. He held up his hands when I turned to face him. His big smile did not give me comfort. "You didn't ask what kind of milkshakes we wanted. What if you brought one of us strawberry and we're, like, allergic, and shit?"

"Sorry. Which kind of shake did you want?" I asked.

Atticus chuckled. "Whatever's on tap." He glanced around Elijah at the thieving waitress.

Tapping the pad of paper, I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I don't think she's on the menu. We do have strawberry. Vanilla. Chocolate."

"What about mint?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"You don't know? Haven't you worked here for, like, forever?" Jesse asked, leaning into the table and squinting his eyes at Elijah. "Hey, lady, you got mint on the menu?" he called to the waitress.

"No," she called back without looking up. "You know that's only around St. Patrick's." She walked away.

"Damn," Atticus groaned, biting his lower lip. "Not on the menu."

Wes chuckled. "I'm getting hungry, Elijah. Why don't you get that order in?"

Turning away from the table, I made my way back inside and shoved the order onto the turn-y thing and spun it back to the cook who might have set another fire. I found other customers to deal with until the order was up and then made my way back to the table with the Trio of Fools.

Offering them a wide smile, I began setting down plates and baskets. Wes peeled the top of his burger off as if I'd brought him something from the dumpster behind the Grill. He peered at the burger with of disgust. "It's over-done."

"And this one has tomato on it," Atticus cried.

"Sorry." Swallowing back my desire to tell them to shove the bloody food up their collective arses, I continued to smile and said, "Let me take it back."

"Ugh," Atticus took the slice of tomato and tossed it away from him. It hit another customer who turned to shoot them an offended glare.

Wes shook his head at his friend. "Sorry, sir. He was aiming for the incompetent help." His friends let out hoots of laughter before they high-fived each other.

Wes turned to who he thought was Elijah. "You were taking these back?" He waved a hand at the plates.

Inhaling and exhaling with effort, I took the plates and started to turn around when Wes called after me. "Ex-cuse me! I asked for Diet Coke. This is re-gul-ar!" Again, hoots of laughter.

Body stiffening, I returned to the table and moved to place the "wrong" drink on the platter when Wes upended it onto Elijah's work shoes. There was a whoosh of air and then nothing happened until Atticus cried out, "Looks like you've had an accident. Might want to get a mop for that." He began to laugh like a hyena and I glowered down at them.

About to cause Elijah to lose his job and thoroughly enjoy myself in the process, I opened my big brother's mouth to tell these idiots what I truly thought of them when another voice joined them.

"Hello, boys." My head swiveled and I took in the sight of Hayley Marshall. She'd cut her long locks off. Her hair now hung to her shoulders and she wore a skirt and a light jacket. But her don't-fuck-with-me smile was familiar. "Wesley. Jesse. Atticus. How nice to see you're all still hanging out together." She placed a hand on the back of the boy who no one else called anything other than Shane. He gulped.

Hayley grinned at the three. "Have all you been behaving yourselves? Or are you giving poor Elijah a hard time?" she tilted her head to the side. "Jesse, do I need to call your mom? I still have her number?" Removing a cell phone, Hayley waved it in Jesse's direction. His eyes went to the table top.

"No, miss," Jesse mumbled.

"And, you, Atti?" Hayley asked, pinching his check.

Shane did not look up. "No," he mumbled.

"Good. 'Cause you remember that time I was babysitting and you pinched my butt. You remember what happened, don't you?" Shane's face turned red and my eyes widened as a something liquid began to trickle around his shoes.

"I have to go. Now!" Shane cried out, jumping to his feet. He took off at a run.

Wes looked unimpressed. "Good to see you, Hayley. Hope you're taking a bite of the Big Apple. There aren't too many places that are as accepting of your kind."

Hayley's smile turned lethal and I took hold of her arm and spun her away from Wes at the same time that the manager came out with the man who got assaulted with a tomato slice. For a moment, I thought Elijah was about to get yelled at when the manager went toward Wes. "Maxfield, I told you, more than once that you, and your friends will be banned from the Grill—for life—if you don't stop this kind of thing." He waved at the other customer.

"Sorry," Wes shrugged. "How much for the dry-cleaning?" He removed his wallet and removed a hundred dollar bill. "That should cover everything. Correct? Although it will do little to make up for the sub-par food and the horrible service." He shot Elijah a look. "He's having a real off day. Such a shame." Moving past me, Wes patted Elijah's chest. "See you tomorrow."

He would not be seeing me tomorrow. But he might be seeing Elijah. The thought made my stomach—no, Elijah's stomach—turn.

"Elijah, take a break. It's been a long day. Catch up with your friend," the manager told me.

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Happy I showed up a day early?" Hayley asked with a smile.

Nodding, I hoped that I could convince her I was Elijah for the duration of the break. Otherwise, there would be a lot of explaining to do.

~0~

Thankfully, Hayley spent most of the half-hour break filling in Elijah about life in New York. After that, I just had to get through the rest of the shift which meant a lot of cleaning up after customers before the manager approached me. "If you want to leave now, you're covered," he told me.

He was still speaking when I jerked the apron off and started toward the door. "You don't mind covering Dean's second shift, tomorrow, do you?"

Thinking on that for a moment, I tried to think of what Elijah would say. "Yes. Of course," I replied. Hopefully Elijah wanted to take the second shift tomorrow. Although I could not understand why.

~0~

Finally arriving at my house, I entered the living room and jerked off Elijah's shoes. Wriggling my toes, I could think of one thing, and one thing only: bed.

Of course, that was too much for the universe. Something came clamoring down the stairs and Elijah's eyes widened as I saw Caroline come running toward me. "Caroline?"

"Klaus!" Caroline cried, cupping Elijah's face. She studied me closely. "Are you in there?"

"Yes." I nodded. I could not help but smile. "You knew it wasn't me?"

"No. Damon figured it out first. But I would have…" Caroline rolled her eyes. "Elijah works too hard in school to pass as you. And he just… He's not you." She smiled up at me. "I have to tell you about what happened today."

"Alright." I allowed Caroline to lead me back to my own room where I fell down on the bed. She sat on the end, talking fervently about the day's events, "Elena and Damon had another fight. About Wes. And I think you're right. Wes came back after lunch and he was acting just weird toward Elena. He caught her by our lockers and he said he had extra tickets to a concert and wanted to know if she wanted to come with him and his friends."

"Elena said she had plans for that weekend. Then Wes starts talking about another party. Something special. But there was just something wrong there. Anyway, I made an excuse and dragged Lena to Chem lab. And Bonnie made something explode. But it wasn't because of the chemicals in the experiment. And the teacher was kind of freaked. That part was funny. Oh, and Bon said you should be you, by tomorrow morning." Nodding, Caroline offered me a smile. "Although I have a theory about how to get you back to your own body quick."

"What is it?" I inquired. At this point, I'd do most anything to be me again.

"You have to close your eyes. Well, Elijah's eyes. And trust me," Caroline said. Closing Elijah's eyes, I waited. "It's true love's kiss breaks most spells. So, I figure it's worth a try. Right?" Caroline whispered before her lips met, well, Elijah's. I couldn't help myself. I missed kissing my girlfriend and I hadn't been able to all day which is much longer than we were used to these days.

I lifted Elijah's hands, wrapping them around Caroline's back, tugging her closer. Caroline let out a quiet moan and threw her arms around a neck that wasn't my own. How long did True Love's kiss take anyhow? I wondered idly as Caroline pressed closer and closer.

"What the hell are you doing to my sister!" Hayley's shout made me jerk away from Caroline.

Caroline's cheeks were flushed and she slapped her hands to her cheeks. Turning her head, she looked at Hayley who had Aiden on her hip. Aiden looked like he might begin to cry as Hayley's lips peeled back from her teeth like she might bite me. "It's not what it looks like, Hales!" Caroline cried.

But Hayley wasn't listening. Marching over to the bed with supernatural speed, she took Caroline's wrist and jerked her off the bed and then strode into the hallway. "Go downstairs and watch him!" she ordered Caroline, "Now!"

I could hear the clatter of feet as Hayley came back into my bedroom and slammed the door closed. She flipped the lock. When she turned around, her eyes were yellow and she was sporting fangs. "You have five seconds to explain. One. Two. Three," she hissed out, seconds from wolfing-out on me.

"I'm Klaus!" I shouted. "Bonnie did a spell! I'm NOT Elijah! He would never do that!" I waved a hand at the bed and waited.

Hayley shook her head and returned to her human features. "So, that's why you kept sitting there and had nothing to say about New York."

"Why would I say anything about New York?" I retorted.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Ask Elijah. Speaking of, he's going to kill you when he finds out you were making out with Care in his body. And that you were totally screwing up his job today."

"Why do you want to not talk?" I demanded.

Hayley turned and grinned at me. Why? Oh, why did I keep ending up on the wrong side of a dare? Karma, I suppose.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you're well. On with the show…**

Chapter 8: The Out Of Towners: Part I

After having an awkward conversation with Hayley in which I, artfully, dodged the truth of how, and why, Bonnie used a body-switching spell on me and Elijah; I was left to wait out the spell. In the time remaining, Caroline, Hayley, and I went down to the living room and sat down to watch rom-coms that Caroline favored. At the moment, we were watching the 1999 version of the _Out of Towners_, with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. I couldn't decide who was more crush-worthy: Goldie, or her starlet daughter, Kate Hudson. I settled onto the perky blonde to my left who was giggling around a mouthful of popcorn.

Momentarily forgetting whose body I still occupied, I wrapped an arm around Caroline's shoulders. A low, but loud cough, coming from my right, accompanied by a frown, made me move.

Hayley held out a hand and Caroline passed her the popcorn. The older girl relaxed into the couch while Aiden played with his toy fire truck, rolling around on the floor.

The movie finished and I got up to change DVDs. "Can we order Chinese?" Caroline asked me. "I have had a craving for orange chicken and brown rice. And eggrolls. Oh, and extra fortune cookies!"

For a moment, I wondered if Caroline had forgotten my identity, and thought I really was Elijah. Then she titled her head and fluttered her eyelashes at me. No. She clearly knew who I was. I hoped...

"Stop that!" Hayley snapped. "I don't care who's in the wrapper, you are freaking me out!"

"Sorry...Mom!" Caroline shot back with a giggle.

Hayley opened her mouth to retort when Aiden cried out, "Mama!"

"What, honey?" Hayley went to her child.

"Want Daddy!" Aiden cried, pouting.

"Uh?" Hayley looked to me.

Aiden pursed his lips at me, narrowing his eyes. "Not my Daddy. Doesn't smell like Daddy. Smells like Nucle Icky!"

Clapping her hands together, Caroline laughed so hard, tears came to her eyes. "Nucle Icky! Oh, Damon's going to love that!"

"Car-o-line!" I growled back.

"Nucle Icky!" she laugh-shouted, pointing at me, bent over with laughter.

"Aiden, what is your name for Auntie Caroline?" I coaxed.

Aiden grinned. "Car-a-hinny!"

"What?" Now, Caroline looked horrified and placed her hands on her hips. "You take that back, Tiny Mikaelson!"

Aiden continued to grin. "Car-a-hinny!" he sang. "Pick me up. Car-a-hinny!" He held out his arms.

"Ugh!" Caroline picked Aiden up. "You're lucky you're so darn cute."

Aiden pressed his face into her shoulder. "I'm cute."

Shaking my head at my nephew's antics, I went into the kitchen to retrieve the Chinese take-out menu and to make a call.

Pulling a drawer open, I dug through it, wondering at how many pizza menus we had before finding the sole Chinese menu. The virtues of living in a small town: fifteen pizza parlors, and one, decent Chinese take-away.

Rolling my eyes, I closed the drawer with my hip before moving across the room, toward our landline. Picking up the phone, I found Hayley leaning against the breakfast bar.

"Come to place your order, too?" I inquired, brows lifting.

"Yeah. Sort of. More like ask a favor," Hayley paused, sucking on her bottom lip, then she continued, "This might be awkward..."

"More awkward than your thinking that you'd walked in on your ex and your kid sister?" A little smirk played at the corners of my lips.

"Probably not that awkward. Hayley laughed and ran a hand through her long locks. She was obviously unnerved about whatever this was, and she was making me nervous, too. I wished she would just spit it out.

"I'm seeing someone-in New York-and I like him. This could be serious. But I need someone else to meet him and tell me if they get any kind of weird vibes. I have Aiden to think of..." Hayley trailed off, pinning me with a doe-eyed stare.

"Okay, Bambi. I suppose you can bring the new guy home, on break, and we'll figure him out. Hell, it can be a dare." Warming to the plan, I did not have time to begin planning out the dare before Hayley interrupted my thoughts.

"Klaus! I don't want the whole club. Just you. And Care." Hayley braced herself against the counter. "This is between the three of us. If you guys don't like him; then I have some thinking to do."

"Why not ask Elijah? He's discerning-unless you count Kat... You're friends, still, and you talk..." I was trying to lead her to the logical conclusion.

"You're right. Usually, I would ask Elijah. He knows me better than anyone..." Hayley blew out a breath. "But he's Aiden's dad. And he's going to worry about anyone who is around our kid. I do. So, I want the other person who knows me the best to go: Caroline. And you're pretty good at reading people, too."

"I'm not a roll, no need to butter me up," I said. "Where Caroline is; is where I should be." Then I thought of something. "How you going to bring this new suitor, here, without Elijah running into him?"

Hayley hesitated. "I thought you and Caroline could come back to New York, with me. Just for a couple of days. Not for, like a month, or something." Her eyes were wide and hopeful.

"You want Caroline, and I, to go to New York?" The idea pleased me. Other than our brief time haunting the halls of the boarding school in Salem; we had been virtually nowhere of note.

"New York?" Caroline had entered the kitchen without Hayley, or I, noticing. "Yes! Nik, you have to say 'Yes!' It's New York! Shopping! Broadway! Shopping! Museums! Shopping! Food! Did I mention: SHOPPING? Ple-ase! Say: Yes!" My girl was literally jumping up and down with excitement. How could I say: 'No?'

"Yes," I said and Caroline came running over to throw her arms around me, squeezing Elijah's neck, moving in for a kiss when Hayley let out a half-shriek.

"Later." Caroline patted Elijah's chest and I smiled in anticipation.

The next day, I woke to find myself in my own bed and in my own clothes. Sighing, I closed my eyes. After a long moment of momentous relief, I recalled my conversation with Hayley. What if our little secret was out? Sitting up, I frowned and searched my mind for memories of what I had been up to in the past twenty-four hours. I drew a blank as to where my body had been. Good. But not good enough. I needed to test my theory.

Getting out of bed, I made short work of dressing and headed upstairs. Elijah was already up and buttering a slice of toast. The smell of brewing coffee and eggs made my stomach growl. I wondered what Elijah had fed my body; I felt half-starved, per usual.

"Morning, Niklaus," Elijah greeted me. "Hungry?"

"Starved." I moved to the counter and grabbed a slice of toast, eating it dry. Chewing on the bread, I waited for Elijah to question my current plans, but he said nothing.

"Brother," I began, "do you recall anything I did, in your body, yet?" I attempted to make the question sound casual.

Elijah shook his head. "No, do you?" He pinned me with a look.

"Not a thing," I replied, coolly, turning to the eggs. "I believe they're done."

"Niklaus, what have you done?" Elijah demanded, moving the eggs to an unused burner and switching the knob off.

"Nothing!" I got up and went to open a drawer and withdrew a fork. Taking a couple of steps closer to my brother; I stopped go take a bite of the eggs. "Your best scrambled yet."

"Niklaus..." Elijah hissed at me. "What have you done, in my body?"

"Hayley caught me kissing Caroline!" I snapped, tossing the plate in the sink. I had to explain; so she did not think you were a dirty pervert!"

Elijah's eyes rounded. "Klaus," he growled, "of all the bloody stupid..." He shook his head. "Thankfully, the spell is over."

"Yes, it is," I muttered, feeling satisfied that he knew nothing.

"What do you mean: He'll remember, eventually?" I demanded that evening. I stared at Bonnie, who was sitting in Enzo's lap. Their fingers were intertwined, like they had been together for years, instead of less than a week.

"I believe you heard her, mate. Elijah will recover his memories." Enzo leaned back in the chair he sat in (which happened to belong to me) and acted like it was his own bloody room.

Caroline placed a hand on my knee. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked her friend as if Bonnie had just diagnosed me with a dread disease.

Bonnie looked thoughtful, "Well, performing another spell-to temporarily transform Klaus' physiology might stall the effects of the first spell... But there could be dire side effects..."

"Like what?" I demanded, annoyed. "A second head?" Damon snorted a laugh and waved me off when I shot him a dark look.

"Could be worse. You could end up with wings, or scales, or tail, of -"

"Shut up, Damon!" Caroline and I shouted.

"Why did we even invite him?" Caroline added, to no one in particular.

Damon shrugged. "Sor-ry!" He wasn't.

"Go on," I urged Bonnie.

Bonnie sighed. "I might not be able to reverse the spell, or you might die. Or lose your memory. At the very least -"

"Die?" Caroline gasped. "No! No way! This is not worth it. We should tell Elijah."

"No." I shook my head. "I'll just drink some vampire blood. If anything happens to me, I'll be young and handsome and -"

"Carded. At every liquor store-forever!" Damon said with a smirk.

"Damon," I groaned.

"How are you going to acquire Vamp blood?" Enzo's brow quirked.

"Lexi gave me a vial. 'To use in case of emergency.'"

"I doubt this is what she meant," Caroline called to me as I went over to my dresser. Opening my underwear drawer, I found the little vial where I'd seen it last. F*** it, I marched over to Bonnie while Caroline muttered curses.

"Do your worst," I addressed the witch.

Bonnie blinked at me before Caroline jumped in. "Don't you need a potion, or something?"

Shaking her head, Bonnie got up. "No. I just need Klaus." Eyeing me, Bonnie inhaled. "Spirits, hear me, I beg you, exchange this youth for maturity." Closing her eyes, Bonnie's head titled back. I felt something go through me at the same time that a pair of fingers slid through mine.

"Nik?" Caroline cried.

Eyes rounding, I found that Caroline's top had moved up two inches. Her breasts and legs had grown. Her hair flowed down her back longer than I remembered it being seconds ago. "What happened?"

Placing a hand to my own face, I felt a full day's stubble. My hands slid over my own body and I found muscles I did not have before.

"Hey, buddy. Other people in the room," Damon called, "you might want to halt the self-examination for private time." His eyes flicked down and I realized my hand was nearly on my... Well... Right, then...

"Caroline! Oh, crap!" Bonnie's hands clapped to her cheeks. "Oh, no!"

Caroline ran to the mirror and her hands went to her hair. "Roots!" she bemoaned the hair dye that did not seem to accompany the spell. Then she spun in front of the mirror. "I'm hot," she said, looking at her body.

"Yeah, you are," Damon crowed, lacing his fingers behind his head and staring.

"Ahem!" I snapped, glowering. "El-en-a!"

"Psst!" Damon waved me off. "I can look."

"Not if you like your eyeballs where they are." Moving over to Caroline, I slid my arms around her waist and placed my head on her shoulder, enjoying the sight we made. "Are you ready for an adventure, love?"

"Yes." Caroline's eyes connected within in the mirror. We were both pleased with our new forms and soon we could test them out in the city that does not sleep.

The next morning, I woke up happy. Caroline lay in my arms. Her hair was spread across my pillow. Leaning over, I kissed her long neck, and she moaned, rolling over. "Good morning," she whispered. "Ready to ride the friendly skies to the Big Apple, today?"

"That's not the only place I want to ride today," I moaned, tugging her legs around me.

"Klaus?" My father's voice sounded from the top of the stairs.

What would be worse: My Father finding me in bed with my girl, or my Father finding a twenty-something version of me...and Caroline?

Before Father could flip the light on, I jerked the bedcover on top of me and Caroline. "Yes, Father," I croaked out.

"Niklaus...are you feeling well?" Father sounded concerned and I heard the top stair creak with his weight.

"Damon and I went to a party, last night, and I think we might have overdone it. Quite a bit. Beware of the bottom of the stairs, there's evidence of how much I overdid it, there." Waiting, I heard Father sigh.

"Right. Well then, you should probably stay at home and remember to drink plenty of fluids. Not alcohol!" Father warned me. "I'll be home late. But call me; if you need me." The sound of Father leaving made me sigh in relief.

The remaining hours were spent waiting for everyone else to leave the house. Afterward, Caroline and I waited until Hayley knocked on the door. The coast is clear," she told us.

Opening the door, we came out. "What?" Hayley's round eyes became huge.

"Do you have something I could borrow?" Caroline asked, waving at the top she borrowed from me that barely covered her underwear.

"Yeah." Hayley shook her head. "I am sure there is a reason for this," she eyed us.

"We'll tell you on the way," I replied. "After I 'borrowed' some of Elijah's things."

My eyes went around the airport. Other people were busy gathering their bags, but Caroline and I were too busy gawking at all the sights and sounds that New York had to offer.

"Come on, guys!" Hayley waved at us, Aiden's small hand clutched in hers. They were already headed for the exit.

Taking Caroline's hand, I followed the girl who might be a girl few years our junior; to the eyes and ears of those anyone who did not know our true identity.

Hayley was managing her own bags, as well as Aiden's bits; whereas Caroline and I had no luggage. Currently, we did not have any belongings we fit into properly. We needed clothes and Caroline could not be more pleased.

"Just remember, you only need enough for a couple of days," Hayley reminded Caroline.

As a group, we exited the airport and went outside. Hayley hurried over to a cab while a man tried to sell us knock-off watches. "Come on," she called, waving us over. "Scram, buddy!" she yelled at the "salesman," who glared but moved on.

We got into the cab and Hayley gave the driver an address. "I though you lived near campus," Caroline remarked.

"I do. But you can't stay in my room. I have a narc for a roommate and its hard enough bringing a baby into the mix and those three nights when I get super testy." Her eyes flicked to the cab driver who did not seem to be listening. "Don't worry. Klaus can afford this place." My brows shot up at Hayley's words. Did I wake up with an over - flowing bank account?

We pulled in front of a building with a familiar name scrawled above the tall, glass doors. Getting out of the cab, I waited while Hayley tipped the driver. We went inside and walked to the front desk. "Welcome to Mikaelson Resort and Hotels. Checking in?" the front desk clerk asked.

"Yes." I removed my freshly made fake ID.

"Mr. Mikaelson! What an honor to have you, here!" The clerk said, straightening up. "You will want the penthouse?"

"Yes," I replied, taking Caroline's arm.

"Right away, sir!" The clerk could not type quickly enough. Seconds later, the clerk waved a hand for a bellboy to join us. "Please, see that Mr. Mikaelson, and his guests, are taken care of."

"May I tale your bags, miss?" the bellboy asked Hayley.

"No. I'm not staying," Hayley said, shouldering her bag and picking Aiden up.

The bellboy led the way to the bank of elevators. An elevator opened and we entered it. The bellboy pushed a key into a slot marked PH. Soon we exited the elevator and Caroline ran into the room. "Oh, my God!" she shouted. "Look at the view!"

I pulled out my wallet and tipped the bell boy. Once he was gone, I turned to Hayley. "How did you know about this place?" I felt confused. How did my Father get his hands on enough money for this place?

[Same paragraph] Would he end up back in prison if the authorities found out about it?

"It's not what you think," Hayley sighed. "This place belongs to Elijah."

"What?" That could not be possible. My brother worked far too hard at the Mystic Grill to own a luxury hotel in New York.

"Your mother left him money, to invest, and after her loss, he invested the money in stocks that grew rapidly. He's been waiting, to make sure that your father doesn't..."

"End up back in jail, again," Caroline stated while I tried to understand my brother's secret.

"Yup." Hayley rolled her eyes. "This," she spread her arms to encompass the space around them. "This is for the whole family."

"So, this is Elijah's big secret?" I shook my head. "I would have never dreamed of this on such a grand scale."

"Ooo! Bedroom!" Caroline ran toward a pair of spring doors and jerked them open. "King-sized bed!" she shouted, racing toward the bed and threw herself on top of it. "I never want to leave!"

"Well, you have to!" Hayley called. "Remember why you agreed to come here in the first place."

"Yes. I know." Caroline sat up. "So, when do we meet your boy?" She smirked and shot me a look.

"In about fifteen minutes. I agreed to meet him at Serendipity." Hayley consulted her phone as Caroline slid off the bed.

Caroline grinned. "I saw that movie."

"Just remember: You're not Klaus and Caroline," Hayley said, "too many questions."

"We're Elizabeth and Nick. No Beth. Caroline's cousin," Caroline supplied, smiling at me. Now, that we had aliases it looked like we were ready to meet Hayley's mystery man.

"Jack!" Caroline and I had been acting like typical tourists, taking in sights, sounds, and horrid smells that New York had to offer when Hayley quickened her pace. "Jack-son!" she shouted to a tall man with black, curly hair.

Jackson did not seen to hear Hayley, at first. He was busily watching people around him until Caroline added her voice. "JACK-SON!" Caroline shouted through cupped hands.

Now, the older boy turned to stare at us. He looked at Caroline the way you would ordinarily look at a stranger who you'd never seen in your life, shouting your name for those in Northern Maine to hear. Then Jackson caught sight of Hayley and he turned toward us, opening his arms. Hayley looked back at us and I took the handles of Aiden's stroller nodding for her to go ahead. She ran forward to throw herself into her new boyfriend's arms.

Caroline and I found other things to occupy our attention until all of the kissing and "I am kissing you-s!" had ceased. "Jack," Hayley began. "I'd like you to meet my friends, Beth, and her boyfriend, Nick."

This was Caroline's and my cue. I held put my hand. "Nice to meet the new step-daddy." I followed my comment with a wide grin.

Hayley let out a nervous laugh. "We're not married, Nick." There was a slight growl as my name was pronounced.

"Ah, my mistake. Don't want to confuse Aiden about his paternity. Wait until he forgets his father's face."

"Kla-Nick!" Caroline cried out, glaring at me before shooting Jackson a quick smile. Sorry, Nick is a good friend of Elijah's. So, he's going to roast any new guy Hayley likes. Won't you, dear?" She shot me a look. "But Nick is all bark. Don't pay attention. If I did, we wouldn't still be together."

Staring at us like we'd just lost our minds, Jackson nodded. "Anyone want some ice cream?" he asked, looking at Aiden who did not respond. Jackson let out a breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I think we could use something to cool off with that's all ages friendly." Caroline and I traded looks, thinking for a moment that Jackson had figured, out the truth, but he said no more.

Shrugging, I pushed the Aiden forward. Jackson held the door for all of us and I ran over his foot with the stroller. "Mother fu-" Jackson bit off the end of his profanity-laced cry of pain.

"Jackson?" Turning around, Hayley came back to the door, and stared as her boyfriend gritting his teeth before making his way inside the store. "Nick!" Hayley stared at me.

"Did I...?" I looked from Jackson to Hayley, and then at the stroller wheels. "These things should come with warnings." Shaking my head, I turned to join Caroline.

"You did that on purpose!" Caroline hissed at me through a tight smile. We are here to find out what kind of guy he is, not to torture him into dumping her!"

"You're idea of the vetting process and mine seem to differ, love," I muttered.

Fuming, Caroline not-so-casually stepped on my foot and I stifled a cry of my own as she helped the stroller from my grasp. "Wouldn't want any more accidents, now, would we?" She smirked at me and turned to join Hayley and Jackson.

Minutes later, we were all settled at a table, with far more ice cream than Mother would have approved our eating before, or after, dinner.

At the thought of my mother, I found I had lost my appetite. "Not a fan of ice cream, Nick?" Jackson inclined his head toward my still-full serving in between bites of his own.

"I was thinking of my mother, actually. She would not have approved of this," I waved a hand at the treats.

"We probably shouldn't tell her," Jackson chuckled at his own joke until he noted no one else was laughing. Sitting back, he put his spoon down. "Okay. I know when I put my foot in my mouth..."

"His mother...passed away." Hayley put her own spoon down.

Caroline placed her hand on top of mine and squeezed. "Sorry, man, I didn't know. You mind if I asked what happened?" Jackson's pale eyes met mine.

"Cancer." It was not a lie. Depression can be a type of cancer that eats a person up, until there is nothing left.

"My parents were in a car wreck," Jackson said. "I was ten. My grandmother raised me."

"Oh?" Nodding, I looked at the melting ice cream. "My mother also disapproved of waste," I said, picking up my spoon.

"Ice cream?" Aiden cried to me, waving his arms. "Nucle Icky!" He grinned up at me.

"Did he just call you: 'Nucle Icky?'" Jackson gave me a quizzical look.

"Oh!" Caroline cried, grabbing the whole group's attention. "He does this ALL the time. Elijah's brother's name is Nikaus. Sometimes, he's Klaus."

Sometimes, he's Nik. It gets confusing for Aiden." She said this with such an airy manner that even I loved her, for a second.

"Huh." Jackson turned to Aiden. "You want some of mine, little guy?" He spooned some ice cream up and held out the spoon to Aiden. Aiden looks at the spoon, his mother, and me. Pouting, he turned his head.

"Aiden," Hayley called. "Say: Thank you."

Aiden looked at me, again, took Jackson's spoon and flung the ice cream all over his mother's new suitor. Bursting into giggles, the little boy clapped. "Again!"

"No!" Hayley scolded.

I took my spoon and offered it to my nephew while Jackson tried to clean up with a napkin. He probably had a closet full of plaid shirts, one chocolate-stained one in the bin wouldn't kill him.

Aiden ate my ice cream without a fuss, or new decorations on my borrowed clothes. There was no trouble until the third spoonful. This time, Aiden took the spoon, and held it back, like a sling, with his index finger, before he up-ended it on Jackson, again.

"Aiden!" Hayley cried, taking the spoon away and handing it back to me. She shook her head at her son. "What has gotten into you?"

Jackson placed a hand on Hayley's arm. "It's not a big deal."

Caroline jumped up. "I need to go shopping anyway. We can get Jackson something that's in a not-plaid material," she said this while collecting her purse.

I got up and started to follow my group to the door. Suddenly, I felt funny. "I have to go to the bathroom!" I called and moved to the back of the store.

Once inside a stall, I began to feel better. Coming out, I went to a sink and then blinked at my reflection in the mirror. "Bonnie!" I growled at my sixty-something reflection. How did I explain this away?

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. :)**

**Be safe, **

**-J**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaroline continue their New York adventure and we are introduced to Grandfather Klaus! On with the show...**

Chapter 9: The Out-of-Towners: Part II

Hands going to my face, I dragged them downward and cringed at the feel of my loose skin. What happened to the handsome, intentionally-stubbled man I had been? He'd been replaced with someone most closely resembling Albert Einstein. This was impossible! I must have fallen asleep and dreamed that I was in New York. Yes! Yes, that made sense. With a sigh, I closed my eyes. Waiting for one hundred and eighty seconds to elapse, I opened my eyes...to find Eisenstein's cousin still staring back. Taking hold of the too-loose-for-comfort skin on my right arm; I gave it a good pinch. It hurt like I'd torn the flesh and poured salt in the wound. A welt began to form at the sight of the injury. And that wasn't the worst part...

"Klaus!" Caroline called from the other side of the bathroom door. "Klaus, are you okay?"

"I'm -" I cut myself off. Even my voice had changed. It sounded lower and somehow quieter.

"Beth, let me go in and check on him." Jackson. Bloody hell. I might be able to explain to Caroline and Hayley my sudden transformation, but I could not offer a reasonable explanation to a human that would not leave feeling as if he were in a sci-fi flick. If only Anna or Lexi were here to compel him. Even they could not speed from Virginia to New York in time to deal with this crisis.

I perked my ears up to hear Caroline say, "O-kay." Blasted hearing. Or I believe that's what she said. She could have said: "Pass the butter and it might have sounded the same. Why couldn't my transformation include a hearing aid?

The door opened and Jackson came in. He offered me a brief nod before he moved closer to the stalls. "Uh, Nik? Hey, buddy, I know we don't really know each other, but your girl seems a little worried about you..."

Of course, no answer came from any of the empty stalls. "Nick?" Jack tried, again. He glanced at me while I pretended to wash my hands. "Excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you-and this is going to sound kinda weird-but my girlfriend's friend came running in here about a minute ago... You haven't seen him, have you?" He ran a hand through his black locks and looked embarrassed.

Holding back a smirk, I moved from the sink and waved my wet hands at him, splattering Hayley's boyfriend with water droplets. He had obviously been raised to respect his elders because he didn't react, outwardly. This would be fun.

"What's he look like? This friend of yours?" I inquired, pretending to not have heard the "friend of the girlfriend" part. Without waiting for an answer, I moved forward, forcing him to sidestep as I made my way to the towel dispenser.

Jack paused. Apparently he'd already forgotten what I looked like. My eyes narrowed as I stared at the towel dispenser. "Speak up, young man. Not all of us have half a century to get on with things."

Jack came out of his confusion. "Tall. He's not as tall as I am. He's got reddish hair. Curly. More than mine. Um..."

Nodding, I pretended to think before replying, "Impossible to work these things!" I muttered, loudly, fussing with the device. I banged on the sides of it, as if I meant to push a button before giving it the old-fashioned glare treatment. "Your friend...you said he was tall, red-hair...like one of those Ragged Andrew dolls? Huh? Haven't seen him." My hair is more brown, with blonde highlights, and tints of red in the sunlight.

"No! No. Let me try again. He's about this tall." Jackson held his hand just above his shoulder. "He's got an accent. Like yours!" He stared at me and then edged closer. "Can I help with that, sir?"

"Blasted thing has something against me," I muttered, slapping the sides of the towel dispenser.

Jackson moved forward. "If you just wave your hands under it..." He waved a hand and a towel came out.

"Thank you." I snapped. "What you kids would do without your automatic toys. Have to actually work for things." Then I took the towel and wiped my hands. With a smile, I handed it to Jack who stared at the wet towel before throwing it away. I placed my hand on my chin, "Yes. Now that I think further upon the subject, I believe there was a young man in here. But he left."

"Left? How?" Jack looked at me like he didn't think me a credible source which I wasn't.

I shrugged. "In my day we did not mind other fellows' business." With a curt body I turned and left Jack to his mystery.

I found Caroline and Hayley still go wrong outside the men's room door. They moved to allow me passage and I caught Caroline's arm. "Miss, I seem to have misplaced my grandson, Klaus." Holding her gaze, I watched her lips purse and her eyes round as she stared into mine.

Before Caroline could say anything, Jack came out of the bathroom. "Sorry, ladies, but it seems that Nick has taken off for parts unknown. The only person who was in there was -"

"Klaus!" Caroline cried, excitedly.

Hayley stared at us. "What?"

Chuckling, I placed an arm around Caroline. "Little Elizabeth. My! How you've grown!"

Caroline grinned. "Hayley, this is grandfather Klaus Mikaelson. Our Klaus' granddad." She patted me on the shoulder.

Aiden looked up at me from his stroller. He cocked his head to the side and said, "You're old."

My eyes flicked down at my nephew. A smirk played at the edges of my lips. "How perceptive of you, little boy." I leaned down to pat his wavy brown locks and straightened up. My back had felt this horrid from the simple acts if leaning down and standing up.

"You're Elijah's grandfather?" Hayley stared at me, her brows rising. I felt sure she must already know who I am, but it would still be fun to play with her a bit.

"Yes. And who are you?"

Hayley inhaled. "Hayley Marshall. This is my son, Aiden. Aiden Mikaelson."

"Ah?" I feigned confusion, glancing from mother to child. Then I gave a swift nod. "Yes. You're the one my son, Mikael was raving on about. Seems like decades ago now..." I smiled at Hayley. "My son said you are quite the trouble-maker. And your pup," my eyes returned to Aiden, "gave him such a headache."

Narrowing her eyes, Hayley looked like she might want to clean this grandfather's clock which amused me even more. "Yeah. That would be me," she growled.

I looked at Aiden, seeming to appraise him. "He's nice-looking chap. Smart, too. Definitely my blood."

Jackson jumped in. "Should we try calling Nick?"

"Yes!" Caroline said. "Why don't we head back to the hotel? Nick probably climbed out of the bathroom window to pick me up something nice. He is just so full of surprises. But he's directionally challenged and used to get lost going to the grocery. Hopefully he didn't leave his phone back at the hotel. Or drop it in the bathroom toilet. He can also be such a klutz!" She patted me on the arm hard enough to make it sore.

Turning, Caroline attempted to lead our little group toward the front door. However, Jack had to pen his mouth. "I didn't see a window."

I opened my mouth to tell he should go and check but Caroline beat me to the punch. "Maybe he left while we weren't looking," she suggested, her voice rising with each new word. Yes, her nerves were getting the best of her. "I sure he'll find us." Now, she was tugging on my arm and I wanted to tell her to stop.

Jack just did not know when to give up. "Hales, he seemed sick. You know how this town is-grown man or not-he could get hurt."

"In my day men laughed in the face of danger," I retorted.

"Which is why there aren't as many of you," Caroline added with a long look. "You must be weary. Let's take you to the hotel so you can rest your feet."

"I can rest when I'd dead," I argued, giving Caroline my own long look.

Caroline glared at me. "Which will be sooner than later, if you don't come with me." Her shape tone gave everyone pause.

Finally, Hayley broke the silence. "Jack and I are going to look for Nick. Can you watch Aiden?" She directed her question to Caroline. I do not believe she cared for Grandfather Klaus much.

"I would love to get to know the little bugger," I told Hayley. In return, Hayley gave an evil look before Caroline took the handles of the stroler.

Once we were outside Serendipity, Caroline turned to me. "How in the hell did this happen?" She gestured at my current form.

"That is a question best answered by the witch who cast the spell." Or so I hoped.

"What do you mean: You have no idea how this happened?" Caroline demanded. She sat across from me, on one of the two couches of the penthouse. Since we'd returned, I'd tested out both couches and settled on a large, comfy chair. My back felt like it was on fire and my legs kept trying to cramp from our walk back to the hotel. Walking across the lobby had left me out-of-breath. Bonnie might be right, this spell might very well be the end of me.

"Isn't there something you can do?" Eyes fluttering open, I found I had been trying to fall asleep during the short conversation between my love and her little friend.

"What's she saying?" I called to Caroline who looked like my great granddaughter. This thought made me shut my eyes again. Thoughts like that might also kill me.

Caroline glanced from the coffee table to me. "She can't do any more magic. And if she did, she'd have to talk to Grams, to get a better idea of what is going on."

Closing my eyes, I woke to find other people coming into the room. Again, I had dozed off.

"We couldn't find Klaus. But we did find a great Italian place on the corner of Bleecker and Jones," Hayely announced. She carried two bags over to the dining table and Jack followed her with more food. "Who's hungry?" Hayley called.

My stomach rumbled. "I famished," I said, rising with difficulty.

Hayley's head whirled and she stated at me. "Klaus?"

At the same time that Hayley cried out my name the door to the bathroom opened and Caroline appeared in a towel. "I hope you don't mind; might have used up all the hot water- Ah!" Caroline screamed, dropping her towel and giving everyone a show.

"Jesus!" Jackson slapped a hand over his eyes and turned away from the vision that was Caroline. I could not being myself to have as many manners.

Scooping up the towel, Caroline stated at me as I turned to go to the closest window. Hours had passed and the sun has set, and so had my glamour because I looked like my true self.

"Is everyone decent, now?" Jack called out his hand still firmly attached to his face.

"Yes," Caroline and Hayley chimed.

Jack began to remove his hand when Aiden cried, "Nick!" and began to clap his hands. Jack's hand clapped back over his eyes.

"Aiden, honey, pizza," Hayley coaxed her child's attention to the food.

Jack lowered his hand. "Um, Hales. We seem to have exchanged an old man for a teen." He cocked his head in my direction.

Hayley frozen finally registering my presence. She froze in the act of removing a slice of pizza from a box. "Oh?"

"Grandfather Klaus became confused about where he was supposed to be," I explained with a casual air that did not beg argument. Moving to the table, I opened a box and freed a slice of pizza before taking a seat and placed my nephew in my lap.

Folding his arms over his chest, Jack stared down at me. "And where is he now?"

Caroline strode over, tightening her towel. "He's resting. In the bedroom," she waved at the closed double doors to the bedroom. "We should save him some food. He gets snacky, after midnight."

Nodding, Jack pulled out a chair. "My grandpa was the same way."

"Yeah?" Hayley began to smile like her boyfriend said something witty and I found myself rolling my eyes. Aiden had better ideas.

Palin a slice of pepperoni off his pizza, Aiden aimed and fired. The pepperoni landed on Jack's cheek and slid down to his shoulder like a large, saucy button.

"Aiden!" Hayley cried, her eyes rounding.

I chuckled. "Sorry about that, mate. Boy loves to play with is prey...I mean food."

"Klaus!" Caroline swatted my shoulder and scowled at me.

"That's okay," Jackson seems unperturbed. I found him to be annoying.

"It's not." Hayley shook her head, frowning at me. "Beth, you were about to get dressed." Her eyes went to Caroline who seemed to have forgotten what she was doing.

Eyes widening, Caroline glanced down and her cheeks flushed. "I will be back in minute." She hurried into the bedroom and closed the door.

"Isn't Grandpa Klaus in there?" Jack's brows rose as he looked from Hayley to me.

"Um..." Hayley looked to me.

I waved my arm. "Grandfather slept through the Blitz."

Jack shook his head and grabbed a paper plate. "Even as an old man, I wouldn't sleep through a twenty-year-old girl in a towel."

"Jack!" Hayley cried, shaking her head at him

Caroline's minute ended when she came back, still in her towel. "I forgot to shop!" she told us with a look of horror.

"Can't you just put on your outfit from before?" Hayley's eyes were on Aiden as he chew on a cheesestick, staring at the marinara dipping sauce. "Don't!" she warned her son with a pointed finger.

A loud whimper came from Caroline's direction. All eyes moved to her. She gripped her towel with both hands and stared at her big sister. "You want me to wear the same outfit? Twice! While in one of the World's Fashion Capitals?" Her voice continued to rise until Aiden pulled my hands over his small ears. "Seriously, Hay-ley!"

"Aren't there shops, here?" Jack looked around. "In the hotel?"

Hayley shrugged. "I guess. But she'll still have to get dressed."

Five minutes later, Caroline reappeared. "Who's ready to go shopping?" she cried happily.

"Shouldn't we finish eating, first?" And, again, someone else was in motion before Hayley could finish her sentence.

Aiden wriggled in my arms and threw himself forward to grab the marinara. "Aiden!" This time it was me calling for the cold to cease and desist as my nephew went running. However, I did not move to get up. Perhaps I should have done more to prevent what happened next...

Uncapping the sauce, Aiden giggled before he dumped the sauce over Jackson's head.

"Shit!" Jumping up, Jack looked down at Aiden as red sauce dripped for his head and splattered his shoulders, sliding down his shirt and pants. I wondered if Aiden would be an artist one day. A kind of Jackson Pollack who used other people as his canvas...

"Looks like I'm not the only one who needs some retail therapy," Caroline surmised, moving to stand by my side.

"Beth," Hayley going out, shooting Caroline a warning look.

Caroline let out a laugh and moved to sit down. "Sometimes I forget that Klaus isn't my Nick."

"In my dreams, I am," I told her and Caroline sent me a bright smile.

Hayley sighed, looking at Jack. "You need a shower."

"Use ours," Caroline offered.

"Thanks," Jack said. On the way to the bathroom I overhear him nutter to Hayley, "Your friends are strange."

"You don't have to tell me," Hayley said, following him into the bathroom.

Aiden started to follow them when Caroline got up and grabbed him. "Hungry?" she questioned, placing her mouth to his belly and adequate growling noises. "I'm soooo hungry! And I want to fest on little boys!"

Aiden laughed hysterically, stretching backwards in her arms. "Let's feed the monster," I said, pulling out a pasts bowl and placed in front of Caroline's seat. She looked from Aiden to the pasta bowl before leaning down to sniff at the bowl and then pretended to gobble it up.

The time for fun and games ended as the bathroom door closed. Hayley's downturned mouth told a tale that made me pity my nephew. "Aiden," the child's lot her stopped to kneel in front of him. "You can't throw food at people."

Turning his head to pin me with a large - eyed stare; Aiden sucked at his lower lip. He seemed to understand that I could not help, this time. "Sorry, Mommy," mumbled.

"Now, you can eat. But try to be nicer to Jack. 'Cause I like him, a lot." Hayley stroked Aiden's hair and the child nodded, his eyes on his folded hands. Glancing at me, Hayley added, "And, you, stop encouraging him."

I rested my chin on Aiden's head. "Wouldn't think of it." The second she stood up and turned her back to me; I smirked. Caroline caught sight of my expression and tossed a breastfeeding at me. I grabbed it and took a bite before stating: "I have a few problems of my own, in case no one else has noticed."

"Oh, we noticed," Caroline quipped, opening a wrapper and removing a plastic fork. She tugged off the lid of her pasta dish and dug in in like she had not eaten in days.

Minutes later, Caroline pointed her fork at me. "Do you think there's something specific triggering your changes?"

"Well, it's not the moon." Hayley nodded at the quarter moon bathing the room in natural light.

"What about time of day?" Caroline countered, reaching for another breads tick and then looking to Hayley, like I wasn't even there.

"Could be. Guess we'll find out find in the morning."

"Thank you, Drs. Forbes and Marshall, are you done discussing the problems your lab monkey is undergoing, or do you need to work on further study?" Would have been what I said but someone else interrupted our little scientific party.

Jackson came out of the bathroom, running a towel through his short locks. "We'll find out what in the morning?"

All of us exchanged looks. "We'll find out if Klaus has to go back home," Caroline supplied.

"Which one?" Jack took a seat before looking at us for an answer.

For a moment no one spoke up. It seems we had all forgotten about Grandfather Klaus. "Me," I supplied. "Father worries about my college opportunities. And if I miss too many classes, well, it is a slippery slope towards community college."

"Already?" Jack shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. He opened a box and pulled out a slice of Hawaiian pie. "You're young. You should be hanging with your friends. Gong out. Chasing girls. You have plenty of time to study."

Caroline's fork flicked and pasta landed in Jack's clean hair. This set Aiden off and Hayley's head fell forward. It seemed she could not catch a break.

"I am soooo sorry!" Caroline cried, her eyes wide and she shook her head in dismay at her own reaction.

Much to our surprise, Jackson began to laugh. "It's okay." He picked the pasta out of his hair.

"It's not!" Caroline protested her cheeks reddening.

Jack shrugged. "It can take another shower, later. Now that I have an excuse." He placed his hand on Hayley's knee.

Caroline glanced at me. "Let's finish here. Then we can go shopping."

Hayley and Jack did not seem to hear her. They were too busy staring into each other's eyes. I thought that was what Caroline and I were supposed to be doing, right now, but my crazed, ageing roller coaster wanted to prevent that.

Aiden grabbed a cheesecake bite and moved to launch it at Jack. I placed my hand over the child's and shook my head. He looked disappointed but settled for shoving the piece of dessert into his mouth. Looking up at me, he offered me a cheesy grin and I grinned back, snagging a bite for myself.

Entering the first floor of my brother's secret hotel, I walked alongside Caroline who had found the wall to wall stores without assistance. I could see my girlfriend's eyes darting from side to side as she tried to decide which store to sample first. Once again, I reminded myself that I would need a job with a six to seven figure salary and one of those credit cards with a nonexistent limit.

"We have time," I reminded her, gently. Jack looked at me. "You have time," I corrected myself.

"This one!" Caroline said, with a nod

She made her way into a small boutique. "Oh, look at this!" she cried, moving straight toward a dress with a three digit price tag, I had no doubt.

"Remember how little money you have," Hayley cautioned as a salespersot came to join us.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes! Do you have this in a size six?" Caroline fingered the hem.

The saleswoman examined Caroline in that manner some people had when they were trying to be tactful and did not want to be yelled at, do. "Size six?"

"It's for her sister. Who is fourteen and shorter. With less proportions," Hayley said, giving Caroline a long look.

Caroline beamed. "Yes. For my little sister."

"But we might want to find something for you, Beth," Hayley continued. "For your time here."

"Come on, Mikaelson. Let's leave them to it." Jackson started to leave the store when the saleswoman stepped in front of me.

With a smile like the front desk clerk had given me the saleswoman said, "Did you say 'Mikaelson?'"

"Niklaus Mikaelson. Brother to Elijah Mikaelson." I smiled and waited.

"It is an honor to have you in our quaint shop, Mr. Mikaelson. Of course, your special credit will be extended to your friends. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?"

"Treat them like queens," I indicated Caroline and Hayley before leaving with Jack to do my own shopping. I had a feeling I would be coming home with much more than I had anticipated.

After our little shopping spree, Caroline and I returned to our penthouse. "See you tomorrow," Caroline called as the doors closed and Hayley, Aiden and Jack disappeared.

Coming back to join me, Caroline yawned. "It's been a long day." She stretched her arms above her head I enjoyed the view.

"It know. I'm looking forward to going to bed."

Caroline nodded and brushed her hair behind her ear. Her reaction was not what I'd been hoping for. Still, she made her way over to me and I thought maybe I could sway her. If I could stay awake long enough...

"About that," Caroline sighed. Rolling her eyes, she continued, "I know we had big plans for this trip... Big sex plans -"

"I know." I stopped her from finishing. "But I sense a 'But' coming on..."

"But you keep changing. And I don't want to wake up next to Grandfather Klaus. So, maybe we wait -"

"For the right time."

Eyes raising, Caroline smiled. She leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. "That's why I love you." Walking away, Caroline went into the bedroom and then returned with pillows and a blanket. Going back to the bedroom, she paused in between the double doors. "Good night Klaus."

"Good night, Caroline." I watched as her eyes lit up with a smoke and she slid the doors closed. This would be a hard couple of days, but she was worth it.

Finding that I truly could get used to penthouse life, I flipped through my copy of the New York Times as Caroline ventured out of the bedroom. "Good morning, love," I greeted her, rising from the table.

"Klaus, you're your hot twenty-something self, again!" Caroline enthused, running over to throw her arms and legs around me.

"Hot? I thought you always found me hot?" I pouted and Caroline kissed me until I stopped thinking.

"You are," Caroline said, her eyes hooded and she ran her hands down my chest. "Very. Very hot!"

"We have Belgian waffles and omelets," I said as she ran her out down my neck.

"Let's work up an appetite." Caroline's hand went down and into my pants and I groaned. She would not be getting an argument from me.

Just as I turned, to carry us into the bedroom, the elevator doors chimed and it was as if someone had concocted a plot to ruin all of my fun. If only I could rewrite the script to give this scene a more satisfying ending...

"Shit," Caroline groaned, head falling on my chest. She dismounted and I went to sit down, to hide the evidence of Caroline's effect on me.

"Good morning!" Caroline called, tying the belt to her robe shut.

"Looks like someone found his way back," Jack said, his arm looped around Hayley's waist. It felt apparent that the new couple had enjoyed their evening far more than Caroline and I had been able to.

"Who did?" Caroline looked confused.

"I did, love." My brows went up and I shot Caroline a fond look. "Just went looking for a trinket for Caroline and got a bit lost." I took her hand and kissed the back of it.

Caroline shot me a smile before waving to the table. "Breakfast?"

"Bacon!" Aiden cried trying to free himself, and Caroline went to fetch him. "This is pretty," he said, grabbing at her nightgown.

"Pretty expensive," Hayley added with an eye roll. She grabbed a slice of bacon and took a bite. "So good."

Caroline shrugged. "Perks of being with a Mikaelson."

Jack had started to sit down, and froze half way down, his gaze on me. "You're a Mikaelson?"

"No!" I said. Perhaps too quickly.

"Yes!" Aiden cheered. "Nik!"

Looking at Hayley Jack opened his mouth, but Hayley focused on me and Caroline. "I have such to show you guys before you go," she announced. "So, we should hurry up and eat!" She followed her own suggestion, filling her mouth with eggs. It could not be more obvious that she trying to avoid taking to Jackson.

"We already covered shopping," Hayley reminded Caroline, for the fifth time. "Don't you want to go to the MET?" She led the way up the stairs of the famous museum. I wanted to go. And by the look on Caroline's face; I would say she agreed.

"Of course, I do," Caroline called back as we followed Hayley who pushed Aiden's stroller ahead of us.

We made it inside and paid for our passes. Elijah would be pleased to visit this place. Then I recalled that I was sleeping in his hotel. He must take a spare our, or two, to come here.

"Klaus?" Caroline cried. I was becoming familiar with that tone. It usually came with a certain change I was also becoming familiar with.

Hayley and Jack were walking ahead of us; so they had no idea that their companion had just turned into a six-year-old.

"Hide!" Caroline hissed at me. She shooed me behind a Grecian sculpture. Caroline moved ahead to catch up with Jack and Hayley.

"Where's Nick?" Jack asked.

"Probably in the gift shop. Buying me a Mona Lisa print," Caroline replied. Or on another wing. He really loves the, um, older pieces..." She glanced back and I scooted away.

"Just follow us. And try to not get lost." Caroline knelt before me in a wing devoted to Degas and she straightened my collar and wiped a smudge off my cheek. It took everything in me not to hug her like I really was a little kid.

With an eye roll, I followed the foursome out of the MET and to NYU'S campus. Passing a hot dog vendor, I wished I could stop.

Once on the campus, I wondered how Hayley fit in and I found myself back to being a twenty-something. "Hello!" I called moving to join them. "Sorry. I got a bit lost, again."

"Again," Jack muttered to Hayley.

"We're going to Yankee Stadium," Hayley informed me.

I felt relieved. I could take some pictures for Kol. Might as well embrace being a tourist.

Arriving at the field, Jack led us around. He'd worked the concession stand when he first arrived in New York and had special permission to show us around Walking along the stands, I recalled watching my first ball game with Kol.

"Seriously, Klaus!" Caroline groaned.

"Not again," I moaned. Looking down, I found I was three. Caroline did not even know me then.

When I thought it could not get worse, we arrived at the Arc d'Triomph, and I had an image of coming here, with Caroline, in our old age.

"Klaus?" Hayley cried. Yes. That tone.

"Yes?" I replied and found I was Grandfather Klaus, again!

"Hey! He's back!" Jack seemed excited to see me in this state. He was the only one. "Is little Klaus back in Mystic Falls?"

"Who are you calling?" I demanded.

Jack looked at Hayley. "I need to go," I snapped, trudging away.

"You turned into a baby. And kept me up all night!" Caroline grumbled the next morning. Her sexy sleepwear looked wrinkled and I cringed at what might be spit-up. My spit-up. She flowered at me over our fancy breakfast. "At least I know what to look forward to when we make babies." She picked up a piece of toast and gave it a vicious bite.

"That will not be for many years to come," I tried to reassure her. "And I believe I know what is triggering me. See, it's when I think of something that changes me. I thought of my mother, last night, and I became a baby -"

The elevator chimed because interrupting something this important was necessary. "Hi." Jack walked off the elevator, alone. "Sorry about showing up like this. But I want to apologize to Klaus, the elder Klaus. I mean. And I came to..."

"Oh, boy," Caroline groaned.

Picking up a spoon, I noted Grandfather Klaus has reappeared. "Sorry, Jackson," I replied.

"Does somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on around here?" Jack demanded, looking from me to Caroline.

The elevator doors opened and Hayley came in with Aiden. "Jack -"

Jack shook his head at his girlfriend. "Not from you. From them."

"Our friend is a witch. She used a glamour on us. To make us look older," Caroline explained.

Nodding Jack placed his hands on his hips. "Caroline? And Niklaus?" He turned to Hayley. "Why?"

"I wanted them to meet you. To tell me if you're are a good guy." Hayley was on the edge of tears. "It was stupid."

"Hayley," Jack came over to her. "It want to meet all of your friends and family. I can only hope that they love me a tenth as much as I love you." He cupped her face and kissed her.

"So you're not mad?" Hayley looked more vulnerable than I'd seen her since she realized she was having Aiden.

"No. Just confused. That's all," Jack said.

"That happens to humans, when age is involved," Caroline said.

"I'm not really human. I'm a werewolf." Now, Jack made a lot more sense to me, at least.

"Oh?" Caroline looked at me. "Huh."

"I suppose this means we can get on with the rest of the trip," I said.

"You're you, again?" Caroline told me.

I checked with my spoon. It was true. I was my own age, again, and I was longer longing to be older for some time to come.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. :)**

**Be safe, **

**-J**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, my lovely readers. In this chap, we get a sneak peek at the future and see the downfall of Wes. On with the show…**

Chapter 10: Killing Wes Maxfield

2056:

Damon and I laid on the grass of the old Mystic Falls High football field. A game had not been played here for well over a decade. After the air became toxic to humans; outdoor games seemed to be the least of our world's problems. I still remember what it was like to sit in the bleachers during our senior year. Our fellow students, our teachers, and our families would appear to cheer on the team. And I would be there to watch Caroline. I can see her now. She's looking up at me with that luminous smile her eyes alight and her arms raised above her head waving her pom-poms in my direction. Those days are long over, but I recall the promise of a future. Now, the future is here, and we still have so much work to do...

The sound of a car pulling up in the parking lot alerted me to company calling. Doors opened and banged closed. The sounds of three sets of footsteps on the pavement made me glance at Damon. Damon kept his eyes closed. With his arms crossed behind his head and the lazy smile on his face; you'd think we were back in high school, awaiting Care and Lena's appearance.

I got to my feet. "I assume you'll be getting up sometime this decade, to join us." Without waiting for an answer, I sped to the parking lot. My throat closed up at the sight of my son, Dylan. We had not spoken in five years. But he was here. He was alive. My relief was overwhelming. "Dad!" Dylan crossed the parking lot and threw his arms around my neck. Holding onto him for dear life, I patted him on the back.

Our reunion was interrupted by Aiden. "Uncle Nik!" He had the same boyish smile, but the hair at his temples had begun to turn gray. He'd grown a full beard and he wore a gold wedding band. However, the evidence of his father's taste had not changed in the past two decades. Aiden wore a black suit and tie which I felt might be a little too apropos, given our current dilemma.

"Hey, Klaus." Joshua Salvatore-or was it Mikaelson now-came to stand beside my nephew, their rings making a soft clinking sound when their fingers entangled. "My big brother around?" Josh looked around with a slightly Haunted expression.

"Rumor has it his derelict ghost haunts this town!" Damon's voice made me glance over my shoulder to smirk at him. He held out his arms to the boy he rescued from a manger, one special Christmas, decades ago. Josh made the distance between himself disappear with several strides. They hugged each other with the ferocity of the Salvatore family before Damon pulled back to say, "Hope you got a babysitter for the kids who don't mind staying overnight. Or for a week." He patted Josh's cheeks with a grin.

"Anna. And Lexi." Aiden offered with his arms folded over his chest.

"Huh? They're still around." Damon shrugged like he didn't care that much but I knew he was happy to hear our childhood babysitters were walking the earth.

Before Damon could utter another word to the couple, an irritable brunette stomped over to us with a scowl. She shoved her phone in her back pocket and stared at us under hooded eyelids, one high heeled boot dug into the ground. "Well?" she demanded.

"There she is!" Damon cried with a huge grin. "Where's your sister, D?" He tried to chuck Davina Gilbert under the chin like she were still a little girl. Her eyes widened and then narrowed before she swatted the offending appendage away.

"Nadia is being Nadia. She'll show up when she feels like it. And not a single minute before." Davina's sour look made me smirk. Right now, she had no idea how much like her mother she looked like in one of Katherine's more dramatic moods.

Soon, the witch snapped me out of my thoughts by shooting me a dark glare. "You owe me." My brows rose before she continued. "You have no idea what it took to get Dylan away from the New Orleans coven. He really screwed up this time."

Dylan's dark eyes went from Davina to me. "I asked for a little spell. It was meant to -"

"Save it. The damage is done!" Davina snapped, holding up a hand. "You're just lucky I got there before they removed your tongue." Dylan's eyes widened and Davina rolled her eyes.

Speaking of witchcraft, Bonnie should be arriving within the hour. Or so I hoped. Caroline would be greatly disappointed if they did not get to spend some time catching up.

Returning to the current drama, I looked from Davina to Aiden. "Where are your parents?"

"Mom's dealing with some pack business in Mexico. And Dad is visiting Katherine. Danny went with him." Aiden supplied. He glanced at Davina who looked at the stars and stayed silent. Tonight was not the night to ask her why she did not go with my brother, and her own sibling, to visit her mother.

Damon nodded. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to explore while we wait for the others." He headed toward the bent and rusting structure that used to be the bleachers. I followed up to the precarious top. We took a seat and looked around. "Remember when we were freshman," Damon began, "and Wes and his pals took me up here? They dangled me over the edge for the longest time. Just when Wes told them to let me go. they dropped me. My leg broke in two places and I had to go to Homecoming in a cast."

"Yes." I nodded. "I remember." Frowning, I wondered why Damon would bring that up. "I wonder what happened to Wes," I mused.

"Wonder no longer." Damon's wide smile told me Wes' future was not as bright as our tormentor would have hoped. "After three failed marriages, two children who would not even talk to him on social media and his business collapsed, Wes Maxfield was found dead in his own panic room. Seems even his maid could care less if the creep starved to death, or if he was reduced to chowing down on his own failed autobiography. Or at least that is the official report. Did someone lock him in the panic room? Who cares! King Wes is officially, and truly no longer roaming this planet. And I raise a drink to that!" Damon pulled out his flask and took a sip before passing it to me.

Now, Damon turned to me. "Remember the 'Killing Wes Maxfield' plan you thought I didn't know about?" He nudged me with his shoulder and relieved me of his flask, taking another, longer sip.

I did not remember that plan. But I do now. And I remember why I came up with it, too...

2006-ish:

After my New York adventure with Caroline, all I wanted to do was to go to bed and sleep until my senior year. However, life rarely gives us what we desire.

"Where have you been?" That would be the greeting my father bestowed on me the moment I entered our house.

"I thought you would be at work." Yes, I knew better than to answer in that manner and the dark cloud that erupted in father's blue eyes told me of an on-coming storm.

Father placed his hands on his hips and stared at me through narrowed eyes. "It is fine for Elijah to disappear for a day, or two; he is a grown man, but you are still a boy. A boy who lives under my roof. Eats food from my table. And has clothes on his back thanks to my efforts." I did not remind him of the years he was in jail and could not do any of those things.

Rolling my eyes, I moved past my father and headed for my basement room. "I won't be here for much longer."

"When you are living on your own, you may do as you please, Niklaus!" Father followed me to the door and stood in front of me. "But you will not so long as you're under my roof!"

I let out a growl and side-stepped around him. Stomping down the stairs, I dropped my bag and jerked my closet door open. With one hand I pulled random bits out and stuffed them into the bag before zipping it and heading back up the stairs. My father stood in the doorway and I glared at him. "Perhaps I should find new living accommodations then!" I snapped at him.

For a moment, my father's expression froze. Seconds later, he moved aside and I stalked to the front door. Twisting the knob, I exited the house and strode over to my bike which laid on its side on our front lawn. Kol probably used it while I was gone. He never could put anything back where he found it.

Righting the bike, I climbed atop it and saw my father in the door. I expected for him to try to stop me, but he stood there, watching me before saying, "So, help me, Niklaus, if you leave now; do not consider coming back!"

My eyes widened. Then my mood set along with my jaw. I turned my bike toward the street and set off having no idea where I was going. I heard the door slam shut and the lock snap into place. A couple of houses away, I paused to glance back at my home. My father's light had gone on inside his office, but the blinds were closed and no sign of movement told me he was watching my progress.

My eyes went back to the road and I continued onward. I would need to find a place to sleep tonight.

~0~

Deciding to try one of the five places my father would never think to look for me, I pedaled there and then ditched my bike in the lawn. I strode to the front door and rang the bell. This had to be better than attempting to sleep under the bleachers-which would be my fifth option-I waited for someone to answer the door. Jeremy Gilbert answered the door. He spoke before I had a chance to. "Hey, Klaus. Kol with you?" He asked, baseball bat in hand and a plastic bag in the other.

"No." I shook my head. "Are your parents?"

"Hell, no!" Jeremy shook his head and came out the door. "Just the girls." He wrinkled his nose and headed past me. "Later."

Nodding, I headed inside the house and closed the door. Taking the stairs up, I thought I heard a girl crying, but I wasn't sure until I made my way down as quietly as possible. Sure enough, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline sat on Elena's bed. Bonnie had a hand on Elena's knee, her eyes on her friend's face. Caroline had her back to me. And Elena stated at a tissue, her face puffy from crying. "I can't ever go back to school!" Elena sobbed.

"Lena..." Caroline began and I made my way back down the hallway and out the door. Pausing for a count of sixty seconds, I hit the doorbell. To my surprise, it was Elena who came to the door. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, but she offered me a bright smile. "Hi, Klaus! Are you looking for Care?" Her tone was too cheerful.

"No. I had a favor to beg you... Are you alright?"

Elena's smile tightened. "Me?" She let out a false laugh. "I'm fine. I just have a cold."

Caroline edged in between Elena and the door. "Hi, Nik! What are you doing here?" My girlfriend's voice was also too cheerful.

"I need a place to stay. My father and I had a fight about my disappearing for so long..." I watched Caroline's expression soften. "I need a place to stay until things cool off."

"You could stay with Tyler. He's always complaining about not feeling like part of the group anymore," Bonnie said, popping up behind Care and Elena.

Caroline nodded. "Mikael would never think to look for you there."

"Right." I nodded and shouldered my bag.

Caroline came out and put her arms around my neck. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she questioned me, her eyes peering into mine. I nodded and bent my head, kissing her on the lips while Bonnie and Elena found something else to do. "I feel much better now."

"Maybe I could sneak over to Tyler's tonight, and we can hang out," Caroline cocked her head to the side. I grinned back at her.

"Perhaps," I muttered, hugging her before returning to my mission of finding a place to rest my head for the night.

~0~

This would be a second, and, with any luck, final attempt at finding a bed to sleep in that night. I rang the doorbell. Waiting for someone to answer, I wondered about what happened at Elena's house. Did she and Damon have their weekly fight? Or did something else happen while Caroline and I were in New York?

The door opened forcing me to press pause on my inner thoughts. Tyler Lockwood stood in the doorway. If at all possible, he looked worse than Elena. He certainly smelled worse. "Klaus?" he grunted, peering at me through bloodshot eyes. He blinked and shaded his eyes from the sun. "What are you doing here?" he groaned, arms folding over his bathrobe clad chest.

Tyler kept his body angled between the door and the frame. This did not put me off. Instead, I offered him a wide smile. "How, Tyler is it that that is any way to greet an old mate?" I shook my head and stepped forward making it clear that he needed to let me in.

Backing up, Tyler frowned as I stopped in the foyer. "What's wrong? Are you sick? Elena Gilbert seems to have come down with something as well..." I allowed my question to hang in the air before I made way to the staircase. I'd been here often enough that I could find my way around in the dark, if need be.

Heading down the hall, I paused and sniffed the air outside of Tyler's room. My hand went to my nose. Did he kill something and leave it in there? I wondered, noting clothes strewn about, a pizza container and several bottles of liquor lying about.

With a shake of my head I continued my way down to a guest bedroom, far from the stench in Tyler's room. I dropped my bag and fell on the bed. It felt much better than the one I had at home. Perhaps I would enjoy staying here for the time being.

Tyler stood in the doorway. "What's with the bag?" he asked me, running a hand through his hair and then grimacing, wiping his hand on his robe.

Sitting up, I smirked back. "The usual. Father and I had an argument. Now, I need a place to crash. Of course, your place seemed like the most logical fit."

Tyler's brows rose. "Um. Okay." He left the room and I stared at the place where Tyler had stood. Weeks ago, he would have been jubilant at this turn of events. Now, he seemed less than pleased. Something must have happened. Again, I wondered if Damon was involved.

Pushing myself off the side of the guest bed I made my way down the hallway and leaned against Tyler's doorframe. "Tyler."

The younger boy turned to face me. "Yes?"

"What, exactly, transpired while I was away?"

"Nothing."

Tyler's answer came too quickly to be true. "That is a lie. Try again."

Moving to take a seat on his bedside, Tyler's head fell and I moved to grab his desk chair. Pulling it out from the desk, I straddled it and leaned forward, staring at Tyler. "Confession is good for the soul. Or so I've heard." My remarks were meant to be glib, but Tyler began to cry and I frowned.

"I just wanted them to like me! No one was supposed to get hurt!" Tyler shook his head.

"Hurt? Who was hurt?" Tyler's face was buried in his hands. "Tyler, tell me: What happened?"

Sucking in a breath, Tyler looked back at me with the same puffy eyes Elena had been sporting earlier in the day. "Elena. I think. I don't know. She wouldn't tell us what they did to her. She just wanted to go home. So, Matt and I walked her there. And I haven't left my room since..."

"That would explain the smell," I muttered. "Where did you go?"

Tyler moaned and ran his hands through his hair. "Wes Maxfield's."

Now, my stomach tightened. Bloody Wes Maxfield. He'd been pursuing Elena Gilbert for weeks. And I'd been more worried about any interest he showed in Caroline. "Damon did not come with you?"

"Nope." Tyler shook his head slowly. "I guess he'd heard about a party from Ric. And he went to check it out. Elena was stuck here because your dad had mentioned you and Care disappearing. So, Lena's parents were keeping a closer eye on her."

"And she went to Wes' party because..."

"Because I talked her into it!" Tyler cried, burying his face in his balled fists. "It was so stupid. I am soooo stupid!"

"Tyler, mate, focus!" I got up and pushed the chair to sit in front of Tyler. My instinct was to shove him in a bath, but I needed answers first.

Tyler nodded. "Wes told me that he knew how things worked with the football team and he could put in a word, during my junior year, to help me become captain." Rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, Tyler gritted out the last part between his teeth, "and all I had to do was ensure that Elena came to his party." Hands shaking, Tyler looked back at me. "I should have known better. Everyone knows Wes is a dick. So, I talk Matt into coming with us. With the three of us, things would be cool. We just had to stick together. Right?"

"Right."

"We get to the party and there are so many people, they're spilling out of the house. Someone, not Wes, lets us in. It looks like it's mostly seniors and freshman classes only. Maybe a couple of people from the other classes. Five minutes in, these girls from the senior class give me and Matt drinks. They're talking to us like we're movie stars and keep touching my biceps. They give us drinks. Want to dance. At some point I notice that Elena is missing. I say something to the girl I'm with and she starts kissing me. Then she pulls me into a closet. I've been with a girl before but this girl. She... Anyway, what feels like an hour later, someone knocks at the door, and the girl leaves. I jerk my pants up and find some senior guy pushing the door smirk at me. Then Elena comes down the stairs. Her makeup is a wreck and she's trying to get to the door. Wes appears at the top of the stairs and shouts: 'So, you don't want to stay?' Elena jerks the door open and runs out. Wes starts laughing and goes back with his buddies."

Pausing, Tyler shakes his head. "Matt goes after Elena and I follow them. Elena kept telling Matt she did not want to talk about it. Matt's stumbling around like he's drunk a keg and started saying he was going to go kick Wes' ass. Or he would find Damon, and they could kick Wes' ass. Elena keeps yelling she wants to go home until I force Matt to help me get her there."

"And that's all you know?" I demand, thinking the worse.

"Nope!" Tyler shakes his head. "I thought this was some kind of myth on setting to score points with other guys, but one of my teammates once told us that Wes had a wall devoted to freshman girls in their underpants. This started as a revenge fantasy. Then it became a thing for him, and his groupies, to get off on."

"Apparently, it started after' freshman year. See, Wes used to have this huge crush on Kat; back when he was a freshman. He would leave roses. Jewelry. Love notes. Stuff like that, inside her locker. Kat being Kat, decided to get the girls to help her with a prank. Her own, special dare. She left a note telling Wes to meet her in the girl's locker room. On the door, she left a note telling him to strip. Another note told him to go into the showers and turn the water on. He didn't know the girls fixed the water so it would come out icy cold. He also didn't know the girls' soccer team would be getting ready for practice. They came in, saw Wes, got a big laugh, and told the whole school."

"The next year Wes' parents get him a sports car and allow him to use their house as his own, personal party central."

"So, Wes went after Elena because of Kat?"

"Probably..." Tyler still looking miserable. "I am such an idiot."

"Tyler, Wes would have found a way to get to Elena. And what you did was stupid, but we've all done stupid things in the past. What matters is what we're going to do to Wes, now."

Eyes moving to meet mine, Tyler nodded. "Let's take him down!"

"I would like to make it one better: I suggest we kill him."

Tyler stared at me. "Kill him?"

Smirking, I nodded. "There are many ways to kill a man, my friend. And, no, I do not intend to literally kill him. I simply intend to end his reign of terror. You'll help me. For Elena."

"Yes." Tyler got up and my nose wrinkled.

"Good. Take a shower. I'll return soon."

"Can you pick up some food on the way back?" Tyler asked.

"I suppose." My thoughts had already moved in the direction of what I planned to do to Wes. And I felt certain I already knew what the perfect revenge would be.

~0~

I rode my bike towards the middle school hoping that I would find Kol and Jeremy hanging around the baseball diamond. I did not find them playing ball there, but I did find them in the parking lot. "Fire!" Kol shouted, hitting something which smelled as bad as Tyler's room with his bat.

Hopping off my bike, I headed their way. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" I demanded.

Kol pushed the bag Jer had with him behind his foot. "Nothing, Nik."

"Liar! What is in the bag!"

"Frozen meatballs. We're hitting them, trying to get them on the roof, or the music room, or the library. It's fun!" Jeremy told me and Kol groaned.

"I need a word, young Gilbert." I motioned for Jeremy to walk with me.

"No!" Kol shouted. He moved in front of Jeremy. "What's in it for me?"

My brows rose. "I won't tell father about the property damage."

Kol shook his head. "I demand candy. A Halloween's worth."

"Fine."

Kol moved and Jeremy walked with me far enough away from Kol who hit a meatball which collided with something in the music room. "Glee club sucks!" Kol roared and I rolled my eyes.

"I need you to perform a dare." I watched Jeremy shrug.

"Cool."

"You will be attending a party with Bonnie Bennett."

"Wait? What? No! Gross! She's a girl! And she sucks face with the other Brit dude... Elmo something..."

Rolling my eyes, I did not bother correcting Jeremy. "Yes. But he is a junior. Like me. I need someone to pass for a freshman."

Jeremy scratched his head. "Dare Kol."

I shook my head. "He looks too much like Elijah. That would make Wes suspicious. And you're the tallest boy in your class; you'll pass."

"Wes. Like Wes Maxfield?" Jeremy brightened. "Everyone knows he throws the best parties. I would kill to go to one. And Kol will kill you for daring him, instead."

"I will give you a Halloween's worth bag of candy."

"Cool. With Snickers bars. Reese's Cups. M&Ms -"

"Give me a list. Later." I strode off, leaving the boys to their game. I had another stop to make.

~0~

After picking up three milkshakes at the The Grill, and dinner, I made my way back to Elena's. Pulling out my phone, I texted Bonnie who ran outside and met me in front of the house two doors down. "What's up?" Bonnie asked me.

"I heard about Wes' party." I watched Bonnie frown as I held out the milkshakes. "Tell Caroline this is for her and her best mates."

"'Kay." Bonnie moved to leave when I said. "We need to take Wes down."

Turning back to face me, Bonnie said, "Agreed. I assume you have a plan."

Smirking, I nodded.

~0~

We had to wait two weeks to enact my scheme. In the meantime, Elena returned to school. She would barely talk, keeping her head down most of the time we were in class, or in the hallway. Other students would make rude comments and jokes behind her back and I could see my friend crumbling. Whenever Damon would try to touch her, she would flick away. Damon tried to ask me what was going on, but I played dumb. I knew Damon would actually try to kill Wes if he knew the truth. And I kept my silence as Elena shrank every day. This pissed me off...

Finally, rumor spread of Wes' next parry and it did not take long for an invite to reach Bonnie. Keeping Caroline occupied and unaware of Bonnie's plan to attend was my job. "Elena needs your shoulder to cry on. what with whatever has happened, love," I told Caroline the night of the party.

"You're right." Caroline had said. "So, you don't mind if I spend the night at her place?"

"Of course not." I'd pressed a kiss to her forehead and walked her to the Lockwoods' front door. Waiting twenty minutes, I left the mansion and grabbed my bike. What I would do for a car...

Jeremy and Bonnie were waiting outside of Bonnie's house. Shelia Bennett stood in the doorway. "You three be careful out there." The woman called to us, nodding at me, and I wondered if she knew what I had planned for tonight. If she did, she did not try to stop me. Hopefully, that meant my plan would work...

~0~

I rode my bike a couple of houses ahead of where Jeremy and Bonnie were going. Sliding off my bike, I bent to tie my shoe and watched Bonnie and Jeremy head up and into Wes' house. Now, I just had to not attract attention. Seeing no lights on in the neighbor's windows, I ducked over, and into their lawn, shoving my bike under their bushes. I hid near the bushes until the music abruptly stopped. I made my way down the sidewalk. Bonnie came out on the lawn and I made my way inside the house. Inside, I felt like I was inside a wax museum. Not one of the guests moved an inch. They were frozen in whatever act they'd been in the middle of when Bonnie put her spell on them.

"Hurry up!" Bonnie snapped. "The spell will end. And we need to be far away when it does." She hurried up the familiar stairs and I followed her.

We went into the pool room. Bonnie led me to the back of the room. I had not noticed there was a door there the first time we'd come here. It stood open. Jeremy stood in the middle of the room, staring at Wes and his friends. They all seemed to have been having a good time when Bonnie's spell began. I doubted they would be when it wore off.

Wes stood, camera in air, pointing it at no one. "This jackass tried to get his fellow jackasses to take my clothes off, to snap pics of me in my less than. Just like Elena said they did to her." Bonnie took Wes' camera and took a pic. "How does it feel to be helpless?" she demanded, jerking a Polaroid out of the camera.

I shook my head and looked around. The wall of pics had to be here, somewhere. I began to push at the walls until the one with a dartboard gave way. Jeremy helped me push it open. Entering the secret room, I frowned at the sight of freshman girls in rows and rows. Jerking Elena's pic down, I pocketed it before unzipping my bag and pulling down photos. I placed each in my bag. Finishing, I found something was nagging at me. Placing my hands on the board, I found it felt like it was not flush with the wall. "Jer! Help me turn this!"

Jeremy came in and we turned the board. More girls. Only this board was at least four to eight years older. Walter Whitmore's had been scrawled above the pics of girls. "Is that my sister?" Jeremy cried. I looked down, wondering why Elena's pics would be there. Then I realized a pic of a thirteen-year-old Kat was staring back at me defiantly. She had mascara and eyeliner tracks on her cheeks but I could still see her rage pouring through. This. This is the moment that caused her to target Wes, years later. And for Wes to go after Elena. The cycle had to be broken.

Grabbing photos, I pulled them down. Jeremy took Kat's pic. We exited the room and closed the door.

"Let's go!" I called.

"No!" Bonnie shook her head. "Open your bag!" She waited until I had and she set the pics down and Jeremy helped arrange Wes and Co to look like they were staring at them. She took a series of pics before she opened it and took out the film. Going to a window, she dropped the camera. Jeremy looked around. He found a video camera and removed an old disc before tossing it out the window, too. I broke into a desk and found SD chips which I pocketed. This ended tonight.

~0~

The next day, I dropped the evidence, in a sealed envelope by the principal's office. During the day, I handed out photos to freshman girls with notes to let them know all the evidence was gone and Wes would be, too.

Shortly, before lunch, word spread that Wes and his parents had been in the principal's office. I stopped by to see him on his way out. His mother said, "Don't worry, honey, Whitmore will still take you." His father seemed less approving. Maybe because a man of his family got caught.

~0~

During lunchtime, I slipped Elena her pic and for the first time in two weeks. she smiled.

Silence descended not long after. My eyes went around the room. "Attention, students!" Damon called, a cup placed to his mouth as he climbed on top of our table. "The reign of King Wes is ended. Worry not; we have a new king! All hail, King Niklaus Mikaelson!" he shouted.

A roar filled the room as Damon waved. "Up!" he called to me.

"Up! Up! UP!" The students banged on their tables and stomped their feet.

I climbed on top of the table and helped Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie up to join us. "Long may he reign!" Damon cried. Linking hands with my friends, we took a bow.

If only my reign began on a happier note...but we're not there, yet...

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Be safe,**

**-J**


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning: Character(s) Death**

**Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter will place several characters on a new path… On with the show…**

Ch. 11 Yesterday...

"Did you hear what happened on Wickery Bridge?" A question that echoed through the quiet town of Mystic Falls. It began as a whisper, becoming a low buzz and ending as a low howl.

In small towns, gossip travels faster than the mail,although it might be carried in by the mail carrier. This was the case on what should have been a quiet, Saturday morning. Damon and Stefan Salvatore had stopped by the Mystic Grill, with Damon intent on buying breakfast and coming to the Lockwood's place to visit me. That's when they heard the news as the mailman discussed the events of the night before with all those who would listen-which included everyone there that morning. When his story ended, no one knew: a new one was beginning...

**Fourteen Hour Ago:**

My fingers drifted over a piece of paper. A piece of charcoal was clutched between my digits. My eyes darted over the image coming to life before me. Her soft curls being shaped as my hand went down the page. The curve of her cheek. Her eyes lit up with laughter. Caroline.

This was not my first attempt to sketch my love, but my fifth. Her birthday would be upon us, soon enough, and I wanted to create the perfect present. Jewelry, though something she enjoyed, did not feel personal enough. This was to be her Sweet Sixteen, and I felt she must have something to cherish for a lifetime.

The phone to my right began to ring. My first instinct was to ignore it. This present was more important. And if it was important, my caller would try, again. As if they heard my thoughts, the ringing ceased. With a sigh, I returned to my work. However, the phone began to ring once more the second I had my focus back. Feeling irritable, I reached put and snatched it up. "Hello?" I snapped onto the receiver.

"Nik..." Caroline.

"Caroline, sweetheart..." A soft whimper came down the other end of the line. "Caroline, what is the matter, love?" All thoughts connected to her present evaporated as she let out a quiet sob. "Caroline, where are you?"

"My mom..." Caroline gulped and she did not speak, making my head ache. But I had to be patient.

"Yes..."

"My m-mom... She had an officer come to pick me up... I'm at the hospital."

"Are you alright?"

"No...no...Elijah's..." She broke into sobs. "Nik..."

"I'm coming." I replaced the receiver with a shaking hand. Getting to my feet, the sketch drifted to the floor along with the sketchpad. The piece of coal dropped atop my covers, rolling along the indention where I had sat. I did not worry over the mess. My feet moved over the sketchbook which had fallen open, a drawing of my siblings' faces showed up as I hurried to the door.

Leaving the guest room, I did not make it down the hall without someone trying to stop me. "Hey, Klaus. I got this new game. Thought you'd want to play a round."

"Perhaps a different time." I moved past Tyler.

"Well, I hate to invoke it this way," Tyler began in a light tone, "but I dar-"

"I said: Not now, Tyler!" I growled out.

"Sorry..." I heard a door open and shut.

Shaking my head, I hurried sown the stairs and out the front door. I did not have time for games. All I had time for was reaching my brother.

~0~

With a deep inhalation, I stopped outside my own front door. I knew my face would not be a welcome sight to my father after our latest argument. However, whatever had happened with Elijah must take precedence. My hand went inside my pocket and I fished out my key, shoving it in the lock, I found that not only Father had not changed the lock, someone had, foolishly, left it open. I pushed the door open, withdrawing my key.

Inside the house, I found not a soul in the living room. Music could be heard from the kitchen. Striding in that direction, I found my sister and a group of her little friends. They were listening to music and gossiping about a boy who could be someone in town or a movie star. I couldn't care less which one it was.

"Rebekah!" I called, over the sound of the band-of-the-week.

My sister paid me no mind. She continued to chat with her little friends. "Oh, really?" She was saying, curling her hair around her finger.

"Re-bek-ah!" I tried, one again, to gain my bratty sister's attention. She had a remarkable ability to lose all capacity for hearing when the mood suited. Letting out a growl, I stomped over and ripped the cord out of the outlet. "Get out!" I bellowed at the other girls.

"Rude!" One of them cried with an eye roll.

"Rude...but hot," another said with a grin before they left the room.

"Nik, you're ruining my fun!" Rebekah complained, hand on her hip.

Letting out another growl, I took hold of her by the elbow and dragged her from the room. "Nik! Nik! Ow! That hurts! Let go! I'll tell Father!" She cried as I hauled her up the stairs.

Turning Rebekah to face me, she stopped complaining at the sight of my expression. "Get Henrik! Now!" Without further comment, I went down the hall and hammered on Kol's door before shoving it open. Kol sat on his bed, headphone on, a magazine in his lap. Looking around, I found an action figure of some ridiculous super villain and tossed it at him. "Get up! We have to go to the hospital!" I shouted. Kol looked confused, possibly because I missed his head by a fraction.

Continuing down the hall, I knocked on Father's office door. Some part of me expected him to be at the school. Pushing the door open, I found him at his desk. He did not look at me. Before I could speak, his phone rang, and he picked it up. Brows knitting together, Father fell back in his seat. His eyes connected with mine as my siblings appeared behind me.

"Why are we going to the hospital?" Rebekah demanded.

"Nik!"

"Niklaus, go and get Finn." Father ordered me, getting to his feet, and walking around his desk. "The rest of you, go to the car." He did not add anything else to me or touch me as he exited his office.

~0~

The drive to the hospital was deadly silent. I had driven to Finn's and Sage's little apartment, across town, and Finn had not seemed sure of what to make of my news. He had not spoken a word since I had said the word "hospital." They sat in the back of my car, Finn gloomy, staring out the window. Perhaps we all feared losing another family member.

Once I pulled in, Finn leapt out of the car and made for the front door. Sage was behind him. I had to take a moment to pull out my keys and lock the doors. Striding toward the sliding doors, my heart was pounding in my chest. Inside the hospital, I found the rest of my family. Father stood by the desk, talking to a nurse with Finn by his side. Sage stood with our younger siblings. My arms crossed and I waited for news.

"I'm sorry, sir. All it says is that he was treated and released. I can page the doctor who examined him..."

As the nurse spoke, Liz Forbes came down the hall. She wore her uniform and was paler than usual. She saw my Father at the desk and started toward him when I darted forward, intercepting her, "Elijah, where is he?" I felt she must know something.

"Klaus..." Liz placed a hand on my shoulder and I felt my heart stop. Please, no!

"Elijah is upstairs. In the ICU lobby, with Caroline-" I did not let her continue before I shot toward the stairs and shoved the door open. My feet pounded the cement as I made my way up to the ICU.

I pushed the door open and entered the mostly abandoned lobby. Caroline sat in one of their chairs, my dripping wet brother say beside her. "Nik!" she cried when she saw me in the doorway. Without a second's thought, I ran to her and threw my arms around her. Caroline began to sob, burying her face in my shoulder as I stared at my brother.

For his part, Elijah did not even seem to be aware of my presence. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the linoleum tile. The elevator doors pinged open and my family exited it. "Elijah!" Rebekah ran over to throw her arms around Elijah. "Why are you wet? Father, he's soaked through. What kind of hospital is this that they did not give him clothes?"

Caroline pulled back from me. "They did," she said, wiping her cheeks and sniffling, "but he's...he can't seem to hear us..." She looked at me and I looked at Elijah.

Father came over to stand in front of Elijah. "Elijah? Son? Cam you hear me?" Elijah did not even blink.

"Elijah," Finn moved to Father's side. "We're all here."

Again, Elijah stared into space.

"I should get you something to drink." Caroline smiled brightly at my family. Leaning closer to me, she added, "They tried to get Elijah to eat or drink something. He wouldn't. Maybe you can get him to." Not waiting for my response, she clapped her hands together. "Bekah. Kol. Henrick. Can you play my helpers?" She held out her hands and only Henrik took one. However, Rebekah and Kol joined her.

Father stood up and ran a hand through his hair. He looked to me and then out the window. The door to the ICU buzzed open and a doctor came towards us. "Hello. You must be Elijah's family-"

"I'm Elijah's father," Father announced, holding out an arm, directing the doctor away from our little group.

"I think I'm going to go help Caroline." Sage patted Elijah knee before taking off.

Finn and I looked at each other before Finn went to join father and the doctor. The elevator opened, emitting Liz who joined the group discussing Elijah like he was not sitting ten feet away.

"Elijah." I took a seat beside my brother. He did not respond. I took his hand and watched as the adults broke down what had happened. I caught snippets. "Near drowning." "Heroic." "Therapy." Father shook his head at that last word. "No," he said this firmly.

"Mikael," Liz began until Father glared her into silence.

"It did little to help my wife." Father looked away. His eyes went to the window and the darkened sky outside.

"Scrubs," was said by the doctor as Caroline came back with drinks in her hands. Sage had snacks in her arms. Rebekah and Kol carried more drinks. As they approached, Liz took the scrubs and headed towards me and Elijah. "These are for Elijah. He needs to change."

Caroline sat down the drinks and took the scrubs. "Klaus?"

I nodded and took the light blue material in hand. "Elijah, come with me." I pulled at him as gently as I could. Without a word, Elijah got to his feet and we made our way to the men's room. Thankfully, no one else was inside. No shock there. No one else had been in the lobby.

I led my brother towards a stall, and found that he could only stand in front of it. With a sigh, I led him over to a sink. When we were younger, Elijah would help me dress. I supposed this is where I got to reciprocate. Taking hold of my brother's Mystic Grill shirt, I began to pull it up when our eyes connected.

"Niklaus, what are you doing?" Elijah's voice sounded hoarse and he seemed confused.

"Your clothing. It's soaked. You need to change. Or I'll have to do it for you..."

Elijah looked down at his clothes as if he did not remember how they got that way. Then his gaze turned inward. "Yes. Thank you." He held out his hands for the scrubs and I handed them over.

Leaning against the sink behind me, I watched Elijah make his way inside one of the stalls. The latch clicked into place. I could see his shoes and socks coming off and my eyes went to the ceiling. I really wished someone would tell me what happened tonight.

A couple of minutes later, the latch clicked open and Elijah's fingers pulled the door open from the top. He exited the stall and stood, wet clothes in his hands. We really did need to find him a bag for those things.

"Elijah, can you tell me what happened...tonight?" I watched as Elijah came to lean against the sink next to me.

One of his hands went up and through his hair as Elijah stared at the floor. I thought I was losing him to shock, again. "Tonight?"

"Yes. Tonight."

Elijah held his clothes a little tighter, spraying a fine bit of water on the floor. His eyes went wide as they found the water droplets. "I got off work. It had begun to rain." I recalled the rain, from earlier in the day. "No one predicted it. The storm. It came out of nowhere. I shouldn't have driven home in it. But it wasn't terrible. Not at first. But the wind sprang up. Then sheets of rain. It was blinding. I had intended on taking Wickery Bridge. Stupid and dangerous as it was..."

My eyes were on my brother as his eyes darted back and forth, as if desperate to find something. "I was almost at the bridge when I saw a car lose control. It swerved," his hand went up indicate the car motion, "and then it was gone."

Elijah's eyes met mine. My hand went to his shoulder. "It was not your fault."

Elijah nodded. "I got out of my car. The rain and the wind were pushing me and drenching me. Still, I made my way over to the bridge. Leaning over, I could see the car being submerged and the water pulled it down. So, I took my jacket off and dove in. The water felt so cold it was painful. But I ignored it. I could not just stand by while these people drowning. Diving down, I swam towards the car. There were three people inside. And I could not leave her there... I just couldn't. And they will not let me see her, Niklaus. They won't let me see her..." His hand went into his hair and he began to cry.

A knock on the door alerted us to someone being there. It opened and Father stood there. His eyes went to Elijah. "Good. You're dressed. They're closing the lobby to visitors for the night." He beckoned for us to leave and Elijah shook his head.

Going to the door, I stood, and said, "Father, Elijah needs to see the girl. To know that she is okay."

Father's blue eyes studied me. "He can wait until tomorrow."

"Father, please, listen to me. This is important to Elijah-"

"And it is important to the hospital that their patients get an adequate amount of sleep. Come!" Father waved for Elijah to join us.

Turning my head, I could see that Elijah had turned to look at the mirror. He was shaking his head. This was not working and I did not want Father to try to force Elijah to leave the building before Elijah was ready. Whoever this girl was it was important enough for Elijah to lose his senses. This meant I would have to work through a way for him to see her.

"Give me a moment," I pleaded.

Father gave me a dark look. "Get him to leave. Or I will have the doctor return to sedate him." He backed up and allowed the door to close behind him.

With a sigh, I went back to Elijah's side. "Do you trust me, brother?" I asked.

Glancing at me, Elijah nodded.

"Good. Then. I am working through a plan. But we must leave this room before Father does something Father like..." Elijah nodded and we left the room. In the lobby, it was clear that everyone was ready to go. All their eyes fell on Elijah and I as we went over to join Caroline.

Father led us to an elevator and he pushed a button, waiting for it to come up. Once it had, he stepped inside. Finn followed him. Sage was behind them. Father waited and I moved to step inside the elevator and then paused. "I forgot something in the bathroom. Don't worry. We'll catch the next one." I hopped back off the elevator, watching as the doors slid closed on my father's narrowed eyed gaze.

Turning to the others, I reached out and punched the button, to make a show of leaving for anyone downstairs. "Bekah. Kol. Henrik. I dare all of you to demand Father takes you somewhere for real food. Can you do that?"

"I'm always hungry!" Kol agreed.

"Good. Now, go!" I waved them onto the elevator. "Just make sure to keep him distracted until we join you."

"Be careful, brother." Rebekah eyed me as the doors closed.

Inhaling, I turned to Elijah and Caroline. "We need to find a supply closet with scrubs." Caroline nodded. Elijah was already dressed for the part, so he would be fine. "We also need a wheelchair. Shouldn't be too hard."

~0~

It did not take too long for us to find another set of scrubs for Caroline to change into. We found a wheelchair a patient was not using and a blanket to throw over me. I allowed my head to fall forward.

Now, we just had to wait outside of the ICU doors. It did not take long before a patient's family member came out the door. They were kind enough to hold it open. The nurse on duty at the desk barely glanced up as Elijah passed by and Caroline pushed me along. We pushed the chair into another patient's room and then began to peer through windows until Elijah stopped.

I watched my brother as he stared inside the window of the room. Caroline came up behind me, burying her face in my shoulder. Then I heard the soft click as Elijah pushed the room door open. I did not know whether to follow him in, but Caroline slid around me and entered. Peering around, I went inside the room and pushed the door shut. A curtain was only partly closed. I could see the girl's hand on top of the blanket that covered her. Moving closer, I drew the curtain and looked up. My breath caught in my throat.

Lying on the bed, mass of dark curls amassed over the white pillow case was the one and only, Katherine Gilbert. She looked more fragile than I had ever seen her. An IV line was leading from her right hand to the drip above her. A small piece of plastic led to a machine to record her heart rhythm. Her eyelids were shut, fluttering every so often.

Elijah moved to stand beside her. His fingers went down to stroke her cheek. His eyes swept over her face as she slept. "When I went into the water, I did not have a clue that it was the Gilberts..." Caroline pressed her nose into my neck and I could feel that she was crying as Elijah continued his tale.

"I did not know it was Katherine. When I went into the water, I imagined strangers, trapped, afraid, and alone. The water's temperature caused my instinct to preserve my own life to kick in. But I needed to try to help these people. These strangers." He stopped talking and drew in a deep breath. "I fought all of my instincts, diving towards the car until I could see who was inside. Grayson Gilbert was at the wheel. Miranda in the passenger seat. And Katherine, when I swam to the back of the car... There she was. She'd been knocked unconscious. Grayson was trying to open the driver's side door, but it would not budge. I wanted to say something to him, but my lungs were burning. I had to go back up."

Eyes on the ceiling as if he could see the sky; Elijah said, "My eyes went to the bridge. It was well-traveled. Surely someone else had stopped by now. But there was no one. I went back down and tried to open the back door. And, again, I failed. I had to go back up. Soon, I would drown as well. I needed to try to get out and find help. But they were down there. Then I remembered that when enough pressure is placed on an object, a reaction will occur and the doors can be opened. I just needed to wait. But not too long."

"Going back for a third time, I had no idea what would happen. But when I pulled the door, it opened. Unhooking Katherine's seat belt, I wrapped my arms around her and swam with what little strength I had left. Making it to land, I pulled her onto the grass. She was cold. Her chest was not moving. I placed my ear to her chest and found she was not breathing. Applying CPR, I lost track of how long we were out there when she began to cough up water. I pulled her to me, rocking back and forth as she sobbed." Tears ran down Elijah's cheeks. "I was going to go back after her parents. But I could not leave her. Someone called to us from the bridge. Not long after, help arrived." He shook his head. "It was too late. It was too late for them..."

A soft whimper came from the bed. Our eyes went down to find Katherine's face was wet. Her lower lip trembled and she let out a low moan, beating the covers with her fists. The moan rose, becoming a wail as Katherine beat the hospital bed, her legs curling upward.

The door flew open and the curtain was ripped back. "What in the-you can't be in here!" she cried, looking at us. "Who let you in?"

"Um. We did. Sorry! She's our friend! And we-we're sorry." Caroline pressed her face into my chest and cried.

The nurse shook her head and waved for Elijah to move back. He did and she rounded the bed to spin a plastic wheel attached to the IV. "Go to sleep," she murmured to Katherine before rounding on Elijah. "You the boyfriend?" She did not wait for a reply. "Heard what you did," she said. Turning back to her patient, and smoothing the covers. "Brave. And stupid." She gave Elijah a rather long look. "You want your girl to heal? You let her rest. Time. And rest. The rest is in His hands. Now, you three. Go home. Rest your bones. You're no good without rest."

"Yes ma'am." I nodded and looked to Elijah.

Elijah nodded, too. "I needed to see her."

"Well, ya did that. Now, go heal yourself." She shooed us out.

"Elijah..." Katherine called and then her head fell to the side.

Pausing, Elijah said, "I will be back."

"During visiting hours!" The nurse called back.

We left the room, the floor and rode the elevator down to the lobby. "Shelia Bennett will be dropping by this evening," Father announced. "Do behave." He did not ask us where we had been.

~0~

I spent the night at my own house. Elena and Jeremy Gilbert slept on the floor of our living room. The rest of us hauled blankets and pillows down. In the morning, my Father and Shelia worked on breakfast while I snuck out of the house. I had decided to collect my sketchbook from the Lockwood's while Caroline was at my house, keeping Elena from having a breakdown.

Going into the room, I found nothing had been touched, yet. I picked up my sketchbook and flipped the pages backwards, looking for a specific page. Finding it, I felt hot tears prick the back of my lids at the sight of Katherine, Elena and Jeremy making faces while their parents stood behind them, smiling. They had stood for me for over an hour in the same poses. They would never pose for another portrait again...

Closing the book, I could hear the faint strains of John Lennon's _Yesterday_. Miranda Gilbert loved that song. Placing the pad under my arm, I carried it out the door, humming the tune, and thinking about how yesterday seemed so far away...

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing…**

**Be safe,**

**-J**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter would have been a bit longer, but I was in a mood—thanks to Election 2020 chaos—and I am still not very happy. This chapter was meant to be lighter—after events of the previous chap… On with the show… **

Chapter 12: Do You Want Fries with That?

My eyelids snapped open at the sound of a grumbling, from down the hallway. It was early, on a Monday morning, and there should have been an hour, or two to rest. However, I had not rested well since the crash of Wickery Bridge. My mind worked out random, horrific things that could cost me those I loved, and my thoughts kept me awake. I laid on my back, waiting. The grumbling ceased, for a moment before it began, again.

Giving up on the possibility of sleep, I rose, flipping my legs over the side of the guest bed. I had not stayed with the Lockwoods the previous night. Instead, I spent the night at the Gilberts. Someone had to be there after the family of five had returned home. And I was not alone.

I ran a hand through my curls and let put a yawn as I made my way down the hall. Stopping in front of Jeremy's room, I twisted the knob and eased the door open. The boy slept on his back, one hand thrown over his face while the other had fallen off the side of the bed, dangling above the rug.

Closing the door, I turned and moved two feet to the opposite door. It was cracked open already. I pushed it wide enough to see Elena squashed between Bonnie and Caroline. The girls were still asleep, too.

Another door down, I found the nursery was empty. My brows rose and I frowned. _Where are Nadia and Davina?_

Striding to move further down the hall, I found Katherine's door open. She stood in front of a full-length mirror. She twisted from side to side, glaring at the uniform she'd donned for her new life. Taking hold of her mass of curls, she twisted it, and held it in place, behind her head, pursing her lips at her reflection.

Mt hand came up, and I rapped on the doorframe. "Katherine... The girls aren't in their room..."

"Duh." Kat rolled her eyes as she picked up a bracelet and snapped the clasp into place. "Jenna and Ric are here." She gave me a look in the mirror. "Did you think I didn't know where my kids are? What kind of Mother do you think I am?" Uncapping a tube of lipstick, she applied a coat of red while I thought about how many times Miranda had no idea where Kat was. Would I say this to Kat: NO!

"Right." I turned to go when Katherine continued. "Since Jenna and Ric are here; you guys won't have to keep hanging around." I turned to stare at her as she capped her lipstick and tossed it at her bag. "Plenty of help now," she muttered, not looking at me. She returned to the dresser and pulled her hair back up, shoving a pair of hair pieces in to keep it up. Her eyes found me in the mirror. ""Don't you have school, or something?"

"Yes." I nodded and headed back to the guest room. It did not take me long to dress or to pack my things before I headed back down the hallway. I noted Kat had closed her door, but I could still hear her grumbling within.

Going downstairs, I found my old friends: Alaric Saltzman and Jenna Sommers. Jenna was flipping bacon in a skillet while Ric held Davina above his head, blowing air into her belly as her little legs kicked in the air.

"Me next!" Nadia cried from the floor. She held her arms up, hopping up and down.

"Off we go to Klaus!" Alaric carried Davina, making airplane noises. "Whoosh!" he cried. "Going in for the landing!" He held Davina out to me. Davina took a fist-full of my hair and yanked my head down until we were nose to nose. Then she smiled. Alaric got the better deal as he scooped up Nadia who laughed hysterically while he made slow circles above his head and she pretended to be Super Woman, or some such thing.

"Coffee is in the pot, and food is coming up," Jenna said, nodding at a plate of toast, butter and jam, and a bowl of fruit laid out on the table, along with two high chairs, and eight plates, forks and blunt knives.

"Coffee!" Kat cried. She appeared behind me and went straight past Davina who held out her arms. The child made grabby-hands while Kat sat a thermos down and uncapped it. She poured out the coffee until all but a dribble remained.

"Mommy!" Davina called out.

Kat came over and took one of Davina's hands in her own, smiling. "Do you like Mommy's uni, because she thinks it's super ugly!"

Davina laughed, her face wrinkling up. Then Kat turned. "Ooo. Toast." She went over and grabbed a slice. "Hate to grab my grub and run, but I can't be late." She mock-pouted at everyone.

Just as Kat started to go to the door, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline came in. "Breakfast is ready!" Jenna called to the girls.

"I'm not hungry," Elena said, hugging herself. She had not been talking since her parents died. Today did not seem any different. "Are you leaving?" she asked Kat.

"Yes. Got to get to work." Kat rolled her eyes and faked a smile.

Elena nodded. "Can you walk with me?"

Kat checked the clock on the microwave. "Get your stuff."

"But..." Caroline looked from Kat, to Elena. "She hasn't eaten. Lena, you have to eat, first!" Her wide eyes went to me.

I bounced Davina on my hip who grabbed at my nose. "Nooo!" I said, trying to keep it out of the girl's grip. She was strong for a child under three.

"Nose!" Davina cried, still grabbing for it.

Elena came back downstairs with her bag on her shoulder. "I'm ready!"

"No! You are not! Someone has to tell her she has to eat something!" Caroline looked to Jenna who placed a hand on her hip while Ric plated food on it.

"Ric and I can walk you. Come on, Elena. Take a seat." Jenna nodded at the dining table.

Frowning, Elena looked to Kat. "I can go?"

"Sure." Kat looked at her nails, seeming to note the toast in her hand.

"She needs to eat!" Caroline snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

"Picasso!" Bonnie blurted, covering a laugh. She was staring at me as Davina grabbed my nose and twisted it.

"Pee!" Nadia cried and Ric's face twisted.

"Someone needs to change her!" Ric called, holding Nadia out.

Kat shook her head. "Bye!" She opened the door and moved to leave.

"Katherine!" Jenna shouted.

Kat paused. "Ugh! Fine. Elena, get some toast, and then we're gone!" She exited the house.

Glaring at Caroline, Elena stomped over to the table and took a price of toast. She then stomped to the front door, and slammed it closed behind her.

"I'll take her." Bonnie went over to relieve Ric of Nadia. "New Pull-Up, and some pants? Huh, kiddo?" Bonnie was saying as she headed up the stairs. Jeremy was headed down at the same time.

Entering the kitchen, Jeremy was still in his PJs. "Bacon!" He looked happy as Ric set a plate in front of the boy. He picked up a piece and bit into it.

"You mean: Hello, Jenna, and Alaric. I missed you!" Jenna retorted, taking a seat across from Jeremy.

"Hey!" Jeremy continued to eat, forking up scrambled eggs. Them he looked up. "Are Kat and Lena gone?" He looked at us before he set his fork down. "They forgot me..."

"We can take you to school." Caroline said, moving to sit down beside Jeremy.

"Thanks," Jeremy muttered as Jenna set a glass of milk in front of him.

Bonnie returned while I tried to place a resistant Davina into a high chair. Giving up, I sat her in my lap and Ric scooped up some fruit for Davina to eat. She chewed on a strawberry, making a grab for a slice of my bacon. I dipped a slice of toast in milk and she chewed on that instead.

Overall, breakfast was quiet once Kat and Elena had left. But I could still feel Caroline's fears as she ate, her eyes on her plate.

Alaric took Jer upstairs to make sure the kid got ready in time and came down to hand Jer a bagged lunch. "Hope you like PB and J," Ric said.

"You remembered the apple?" Jenna called as Jeremy followed me to the door.

"Yes." Ric nodded.

"Have a good day at school, kids." Jenna waved to us as I closed the door.

"Jenna is such a mom." Jeremy kicked the sidewalk as he walked between me, and Caroline. Bonnie was in front of us, reading a book in one hand, and sipping a coffee drink in the other.

"She is..." Caroline shot me a look. And she did not have to tell me that she was worried about what would happen to the Gilbert household when Jenna and Ric returned to their lives.

~0~

School want by fairly quickly. Of course, it helped that my focus was on the end of the day, and not the rest...

"What are we doing after classes?" Caroline asked me. Our fingers were interwoven and we were breaking many of Mystic Falls High's no-PDA rules. It made me smile as our ankles wound one 'round the other. Bending over, I nestled my nose into her neck. "I thought perhaps we could drop by The Grill." Raising my eyes, I looked at Caroline.

Caroline nodded, dipping her head down and kissing me on the lips. She pulled back, several minutes later and nodded. "Yes."

I sat back, drawing Caroline's knuckles to my lips. My thoughts paused as the sound of a quiet argument made its way to us. "Lena, she's our friend-"

"We can sit with some her other day!" Elena Gilbert shot Damon a dark look. She had a tray of food. Well, it looked like she would eat lunch, at least. Her eyes flicked to us and then away. I watched her try to go in a different direction when Caroline called out: "Elena! Damon! Over here!" We always sat at this table. Caroline must know that Elena was trying to avoid us.

Bonnie came up behind them. "Hey!" she called. Now, Elena had no exit. She was trapped between Damon and Bonnie. The look of misery on her face made me pity her as she allowed Damon to pull her by the elbow to our table.

Damon sat across from me and Elena moved to the other side, to avoid having to sit across from Caroline. Bonnie's brows rose, but she sat down across from Caroline without comment.

Tension filled the air as Elena picked up her spork and twisted it to-and-fro in her mashed potatoes. I couldn't blame her. Our cafeteria wasn't known for its gourmet excellence.

However, Caroline sat forward, watching Elena intensely, until Elena dropped the spork, and looked back at Caroline. "What?" There was a challenge in Elena's eyes and in her tone.

"Elena, you have to eat." Caroline picked up her own spork. She scooped mashed potatoes, wrinkled her nose, but swallowed the food anyhow. She smiled at Elena who rolled her eyes.

Damon opened a package of potato chips. He pulled out a sour scream and chive flavored chip and popped it into his mouth. Then he noted Caroline staring at Elena. "What am I missing?" His blue eyes flicked from one side of the table to the other. When neither female would speak; Damon looked to me.

"Elena is not eating. Caroline is concerned," I summarized.

Damon looked to Elena. "You gotta eat, baby." He wrapped his free arm around the back of her chair and watched Elena.

Elena folded her arms over her chest. "I do eat. When. And how much is not anyone else's business."

"Elena!" Caroline cried. "Hurting yourself is not going to bring them back!" The blonde and the brunette glared at each other before Elena shoved her chair back and strode away.

"Caroline..." Bonnie shook her head.

Caroline blew out a breath and tossed her spork down. "This food sucks!"

"Let's skip this meal. We'll eat at The Grill." I watched Caroline nod.

"You're going to The Grill?" Damon's brows rose. "Sounds interesting."

"Could be." I shrugged.

~0~

When I came up with the plan to go to The Grill, it was only supposed to be me, Caroline, and Damon. Damon being Damon, decided to make it into a dare. And our group arrived it parts.

I walked in with Damon and Caroline. We moved towards a booth. Within ten minutes, I found myself a spot over in the corner as Bonnie and Enzo came to join us. Matt and Tyler were not far behind. "What's up?" Tyler asked cheerfully.

None of us answered him. The sound of an argument by the bar did. "You stole my tips!" A tall, blonde waitress snapped at Katherine. Both waitresses stood by the bar which had only two patrons because the dinner crowd had not come in yet. This made it all that much easier for my group to hear the entire exchange.

"The hell I did!" Kat snarled back. "Who do you think was hauling all of those refills back and forth! Huh? Maybe if you weren't too busy in the bathroom, not touching up your roots; you would have noticed!" A tiny smirk played at the corners of Kat's mouth.

The blonde scoffed, "New Girl, you have no idea how this line of work goes, do you?"

Kat shrugged. "Seems to me that people ask you for stuff and you bring it to them. Any child could do it."

"Really?" The blonde's brows rose. "Well, while you were hauling all of those refills, I had already taken those tables their drink orders. Their meals. After they changed their minds, gave me the wrong information and called me 'sweetheart' way too many times."

Kat rolled her eyes. "They must have liked me better, because I got the tips."

"From shaking your ass!" The blonde snapped.

"At least I have one to shake!" Kat moved to walk away when the blonde grabbed her by the elbow. "Get off me!"

"Give me my tips!" The blonde said, again, while Kat yanked out of the other girl's grip.

"What is going on here?" Elijah had just arrived, tying his apron around his waist.

Damon leaned toward me. "This should be good."

I inclined my head to the side, unsure what my brother would do.

"Elijah!" Both Kat and the other girl cried at the same time before giving each other dark looks.

"Elijah, can you, please, explain to Newbie, that you cannot just go around taking the tips of your fellow waitstaff?" The blonde asked, fluttering her eyelashes at my brother.

Kat pressed her hand to his arm. "Elijah, you know I don't steal petty cash."

"She was in my area!" The blonde snapped, glaring at Kat who stared back.

"Katherine, a word." Elijah waved to the other end of the bar. Kat smiled and made her way to the other end of the bar.

Now, they were too far away from me to catch what they were saying, but Kat's hands began to wave. Elijah ran his hand through his hair. The conversation ended and Kat did not look happy. She stomped to the end of the other end of the bar and dug a wad of cash out of her shorts' pocket. She slammed her closed fist on the bar top and then turned away. Her fellow waitress scooped the cash up and pocketed it. But this was not the end. Elijah came to join the blonde.

"Cassandra, Katherine is new. Please, allow her to learn. This does not need to be trial by fire." He shot the blonde pleading eyes. "She just lost her parents."

"Elijah, honey, that girl can not even marry the ketchups. She spilled so much of it, Ray had to go to the store, and buy some new ones. And would you like to know who cleaned up while Princess took a break 'cause her feet hurt?' ME!" Cassandra folded her arms over her chest. "There is only so much bull I will put up with, and that girl is full of it, and then some."

Elijah sighed. "I will talk with her."

"Talking won't make her do this job." Cassandra followed Elijah as he strode off.

The room was beginning to fill up and I wondered where our waitress was. Cassandra pushed away from the bar and spotted us. A big smile crossed her face. She strode over and pulled put a pad of paper and a pen. "Hello! What can I get you?"

"Nothing!" Caroline pushed at me until I was forced to move. Bonnie and Enzo vacated the booth and Caroline moved to sit three booths down. The rest of our group took our seats and waited. Cassandra appeared, again. "How about drinks?"

"Um. Could Katherine wait on us?" Caroline asked, peering around for Katherine.

Cassandra placed a hand on her hip and stared down at Caroline. "She's doing the outdoor area!" She pointed to the doors. "But... I could ask..." A slow smile formed on her lips that I did not like.

Soon, Kat came in and moved to our table. "What do you want?" she snapped at us. "I just got a table with good tippers!" She touched her pad with her pen, glaring at us.

"Cokes!" Caroline said.

"Chicken salad, with ranch dressing." Bonnie folded her menu.

"That's not food!" Caroline said.

"Bonnie opened her mouth when Damon held up his hands. "Cheeseburgers for all. And fries. And milkshakes!" Damon fell back in the booth with a smile.

"Damon will want chocolate-" Caroline began.

"Make that three!" Enzo held up an index finger.

"I want mint. Nik likes the Peanut Butter Blaster. Why, I don't know." Caroline looked to Bonnie.

"Strawberry with extra whip cream." The witch nodded and Kat rolled her eyes.

It took a long time to get our order. Part of this was because Kat forgot two Cokes. She brought water during the second round. "Coke!" Damon edged the water cup towards Kat who looked like she might bite him.

"Sorry, sir!" Kat snapped. She returned with the Cokes. Sitting one in front of Damon, she smiled before taking off.

"So, Tyler, enjoying the perks of being Head Jockass, yet?" Smirking, Damon brought the straw to his lips. He took a long sip and then he began to cough, his face screwing up. "Diet! Ew! Katherine!"

"Don't, Damon!" Caroline called, but it was too late. The manager had come over to stare at us.

"Is everything alright?" The manager inquired.

Caroline stared at Damon while I shook my head.

Damon grinned up at the manager. "Everything is just fine. Thank you, sir. I wanted to tell our waitress what a great job she's doing!"

Katherine saw her boss standing over us. Hurrying over, she sent our group a long look before she smiled widely. "I think I mixed up the drinks. Here. Let me exchange these." She sat a new drink in front of Damon.

Damon looked at the Sprite and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. The fries should be right up." Kat took off.

We watched as Cassandra managed to wait on tables and Kat nearly dumped our fries on an elderly woman. Bonnie lifted a finger and the tray stayed upright. "What is magic for?" Bonnie said.

Another thirty minutes later, we all had a sandwich in front of us. "Who wants the BLT?" Damon asked. Caroline took it. "Grilled chicken?" Bonnie took that one. "Bacon burger?" Tyler. "Hmm? Toasted cheese and tomato?" That one went to Matt. And the rest were what we ordered.

When the milkshakes came, we had another set of problems. Kat gave Bonnie my milkshake. She gave Tyler a half-chocolate and half-vanilla that no one had ordered. Enzo received a strawberry milkshake. Caroline got a root beer float. And I got a chocolate milkshake. Damon found himself empty handed.

We switched the desert aound in until everyone had what they'd ordered, or would eat. Kat came back with the check. Elijah followed her with a chocolate shake which he placed in front of Damon.

"Thank you, Elijah," Kat said, placing a hand on his arm. "You have been such a big help since you made me give away those tips."

"Katherine-'" my brother said, following her.

"Bathroom!" I muttered before getting up to spy on my brother and his ex. I found them in the stock room.

Kat shook her head. "I tried to get another job. The dentist did not want me as a receptionist. The library did not need me to stock shelves. Hell, the pet shop thought I might scare the puppies!"

"You did steal some, to sell for a new purse our sophomore year." Elijah's comment made Kat roll her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're trying. That is all you can do. This is not an easy job." He moved to wrap his arms around her. That was my cue to get the hell out.

Returning to our booth, I found that Caroline had begun to drink my milkshake. "Love, I thought you didn't like those."

Picking up a napkin, Caroline shrugged. "It was melting."

"You wouldn't let me eat it!" Damon told Caroline who rolled her eyes.

"Who's ready to go?" Damon asked, twenty minutes later.

"Me!" Everyone else said.

Bonnie moved to open her purse. "I dare you not to tip," Damon called.

"What? Why?" Bonnie's brows furrowed and she frowned.

"Trust us." Caroline waited until Bonnie and Enzo got up and I followed her. No, none of us left a tip. And soon we heard the reason why.

"You took the tips, again!" Cassandra called to Katherine.

Katherine shook her head. "No. I did not!"

"Then who did?" Cassandra placed her hands on her hips.

"We didn't tip!" Damon called to the waitresses.

"Oh! Those kids suck!" Cassandra said to Kat.

"That one dates my sister! He's horrible! And the girls are eating all the food in my fridge, like I'm made out money! I just got a job!" Kat grumbled.

"Poor you!" Cassandra took Kat's arm. "Let's go on break and split a plate of fries."

"You could use some!" Kat laughed.

"Look, we made them bond." Caroline said with a smile and the smile froze. "I don't think we can eat here when they're on shift." I grinned. It would be a good idea if we didn't. Who knew what those two would get up to.

~0~

Arriving back at the Gilberts, we found Elena and Jeremy sitting on the couch. They were watching a Halloween movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn. Although it looked like Jer was eating most of it. Damon moved to flop on the couch next to Elena. "Hey," he said.

"Hey." Elena continued to stare at the TV screen. Looking back at me and Caroline, Damon got up and made his way into the kitchen. Pulling the door open, he found a Coke and popped the top. "Lena, you want something to drink?" he called.

"No." Elena did not even bother to turn to look at her boyfriend.

"She hates me," Damon groaned.

"No. She doesn't," Caroline said, shaking her head.

Glancing at Elena, I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. "I Dare us all to make up for not tipping Kat." I pulled out a twenty, which was much more than I owed, but this was not about a real tip.

Soon money piled up and Bonnie produced an envelope from her backpack. She stuffed it and then ran upstairs to place the envelope in Kat's room.

Less than an hour later, Jenna, Alaric and the girls returned. They were followed by Kat, and Elijah, who carried a bag from The Grill. "We brought strawberry cream pie," Kat announced.

"Two," Elijah said.

"I could go for a slice," Enzo said.

"You drank a whole milkshake at The Grill." Kat rolled her eyes. "Fine." She walked into the living room. "Lena. Jer. Dinner."

Jeremy got up, but Elena continued to stare at the TV. E-len-a!" Kay snapped, "get off your ass!"

"I'm not hungry!" Elena said.

"I don't care. Get up. And go in there! If I have to, I will stand here all night!" Kat pointed at the kitchen.

Elena finally looked up. "I hate you!"

"Good!" Kat watched Elena as Elena got up and stormed into the kitchen.

"And anyone who wants to stay the night is welcome to!" Kat said, going into the kitchen. She took a burger, biting into it and groaning. "So good!" she moaned.

~0~

That night, I found my brother sneaking into Kat's room. He had an envelope in hand. Smirking, I went down to the guest room and gathered up a blanket. Damon and Enzo were staying over tonight. We'd decided to camp out in the living room. On the way back down the hall, I ran into Elijah. "Niklaus," he greeted me.

"Elijah," I nodded and went past him.

~0~

In the morning, Kat came down. She seemed to be in a good mood as she leaned down to press a kiss on Elijah's cheek. He'd made the decision to stay and catch up with Jenna and Alaric. "Good morning," she whispered to him.

"Good morning." They stared at each other for a long moment before a wail came from upstairs and Bonnie started to get up. "Go back to sleep," Kat called. "I've got this." And it seemed that she did.

**Thank you for reading, following, reblogging, and following. **

**Be safe,**

**-J**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my lovely readers. Klaus plans the perfect birthday for Caroline, and she plans something for him, too. On with the show...**

Chapter 13: Sweet Sixteen!

After the course of a year-with a little help from a few friends-I had been planning the birthday event of the decade, possibly the century. Nothing could go wrong today. Everything had to be exactly as I had planned it. Or heads would roll. You see, today was the sixteenth birthday of my beloved, Caroline Forbes,' and she would be happy today, or I would know the reason why! The funny thing was, I was so very focused on my own plans for Caroline; I had no idea that anyone was planning a surprise of their own. However, I would find out, and it would change my relationship with Caroline...

"Are the balloons ready?" I demanded through clenched teeth. We'd been at this for three days now. How could filling three hundred and sixty-five red balloons be this difficult? My eyes narrowed at my little helpers. Jeremy and Kol seemed to be pleased at the idea of working with helium tanks, until they realized I would not be allowing them to strap the tanks to their bikes, so they could create rockets and launch themselves up and down the streets of Mystic Falls.

Jeremy gave me a thumbs-up while Kol inhaled helium. Opening his mouth wide, my little brother began to sing: "Happy birthday, Dear Car-o-line!" That stopped when I tossed a pillow at his head from the couch. "Nik, stop being such a dick!" Kol cried, still sounding like a cartoon chipmunk.

Kol and Jeremy began to laugh while I shot a long look in the direction of Caroline's closed bedroom door. Thanks to the boys' racket, she was bound to wake up, and have her surprise ruined. "Go, and play in the traffic!" I snarled, "before you wake her!"

A sigh came from behind me. Rebekah sat on the couch, flipping through a copy of Vogue. Her lips pursed. "You certainly will not find me in bed on my sixteenth birthday."

"No, you'll be up bossing us all about!" Kol replied, opening a balloon, and sucking in the gas before cackling like a stereotypical witch.

Rebekah opened her mouth to yell at Kol. Stomping over to them, I grabbed my siblings and shoved them toward the front door. "Out!" I snapped, taking hold of the door knob, twisting it open, and fling them forward.

"Happy Bir-!" Katherine's eyes widened. "You're NOT Caroline! Where the hell is the birthday girl!" She popped her head inside, to peer around.

Crossing the room, I grabbed Jeremy and flung him toward his sister. "Caroline will be coming out. Soon. Take this!"

Katherine raised an eyebrow at Jeremy. "What did you do?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Klaus is just being a bitch."

Shaking her head, Kat wrapped an arm around Jeremy's shoulders. "He's just stressed because he's with a girl who knows what she wants. If you're lucky, one day, some girl will ignore your silly hair, and bad taste in friends, too. And after Kol gets done dating her, maybe she'll give you the time of day."

"You're such a-" Jeremy's retort was cut off by my closing the door.

A door inside the house opened. But it was not Caroline's. "Good morning, Klaus. She's still not up yet?" Liz made her way into the kitchen. Not waiting for my answer, she opened the fridge door, removed one Red Velvet cupcake.

"No. I had hoped she might be up soon..." My eyes went to the nearest clock. There were so many activities to get through. However, I did not want to affect Caroline's mood, by waking her too early. Liz nodded, lighting a single candle. She made her way across the floor and knocked on the closed door.

"Come in!" Caroline called out. She was awake!

Liz opened the door and I moved to peer over her shoulder. Caroline capped an eyeliner and turned to give us a huge smile. "Good morning!" she cried with a giggle.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Liz walked toward Caroline with the cupcake while I followed, moving to stand beside Caroline. Brushing her hair behind her ears, Caroline leaned over to blow out her candle. Straightening, she glanced at me with glowing eyes.

"Happy birthday, love!" I whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Ahem!" Liz coughed and gave us a fond smile. "I'm headed off to work. I'm sure Klaus has big plans for you, today. Be careful. I do not want to have come and break up the party." Her blue eyes fell on us for a moment and I smirked back. "I promise to end my shift before this evening's festivities." Holding out her arms, she gave Caroline a hug before leaving us alone.

As soon as we were alone, Caroline turned to throw her arms around my neck. She kissed me like we had the house to ourselves and all day to do as we pleased in it. This made it a hundred times harder for me to concentrate on the events of the day. A year's worth of work might go down the bloody drain if I could not restrain my impulses.

With a deep sigh, I eased back. "Caroline, your mother is right. I do have many, grand plans for the day..." Caroline's slow smile made my brain slow down. "Plans that I assure you, you will enjoy..." Leaning towards me, Caroline placed a tender kiss on my neck. My hands looped around her back, going downward, pressing her closer to me. Where was my self-control?

The doorbell rang. And whoever it was ringing it kept their finger on the infernal bell while Caroline's hands slid under the bottom of my shirt, along my stomach, and her lips trailed over my shoulder. "We...we should get that..." I groaned. I would kill whoever interrupted us.

"Okay..." Caroline suddenly moved back with a wide smile. She turned her back to me, hips swaying on her way out her bedroom door. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, and exhaled slowly. My feet forced the rest of my body toward the Forbes' front door. "Happy Birthday!" Katherine and the others cried from outside the house. I walked up behind Caroline as Kat waved a large, glittery birthday card in Caroline's face.

"Oh! Wow!" Caroline laughed as Kat pulled the blonde out the door.

"And a one, and a two, and a three!" Kat clapped her hands before she handed the birthday card off to Jeremy. Running forward, Katherine did a front flip and sailed into two pairs of arms who launched her on top of a pyramid of the current cheerleading squad. "This is for you, Girlie!" Kat pointed at Caroline. She did a back flip off the pyramid and then bounced into the street. Letting out a long whistle, Kat pointed her index fingers at the end of the street. The cheerleader's filed onto either side of the path leading up to Caroline's front door.

"C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E IS OUR QUEEN!" The girls cried, waving their pom-poms as Caroline and I passed by them.

When we arrived on the sidewalk, we could see Henrik riding his bike down the middle of the street. He had a streamer attached to the back that read: Happy Sweet Sixteen! Caroline clapped and waved to Henrik who honked his horn at her before finishing his role at the end of the street. Rebekah and Stefan came running down the street, turning to face us and did a quick jazz dance, legs flying and hands waving. Damon waltzed down the street before bowing to Caroline and continued to meet up with the others.

Caroline seemed to be enjoying the spectacle as members of the Boarding School came down the road with Marcel and Enzo in the lead of a band. They stopped to play "Happy birthday to you!"

When they finished their block-long parade, a group of girls headed down the street and stopped across from us. "Yo, I'll tell you what I want!"

"What I really, really want!" Katherine cried, running over to join Jenna, Rose and Andie.

"Aren't there five Spice Girls?" Caroline whispered to me, clapping along to the beat.

A chuckle sounded from behind us before a new voice added to the group: "I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!" Hayley sang, hugging Caroline before bouncing over to take a place beside Kat. "For you to have the time of your life!"

"Ha, mash-up!" Caroline's nose wrinkled as she giggled.

"And I had the time of my life!" Kat and Hales sang to each other.

"Friendship never ends!" Rose sang, dancing down the street with Jenna, Andie, Kat, and Hayley behind her.

With a wide smile, Caroline turned to kiss me. "Thank you, Nik!" she said softly.

A car horn beeped and I held up a hand, waving as the car pulled into the driveway. "DADDY!" Caroline shouted, running toward the driver's side door. Bill Forbes got out of the car. He wrapped his arms around Caroline. "You came!"

With a smile, Bill patted Caroline on the back. "You think I would miss my little girl's sweet sixteen?" He shook his head.

Caroline could not smile. "I like your new car."

"Actually..." Bill held up the keys. "It's not mine."

"Seriously!" Caroline took the keys. "Nik, my dad got me a car!" I knew, but I would not tell Caroline how many hours Bill and I had spent discussing exactly which car Caroline would love the most, and that her father could afford. "Can I drive it?" Caroline asked, eyes round.

"Sure!" Bill nodded, pressing a quick kiss to her temple before Caroline got behind the wheel. He got into the backseat and I took the passenger. Leaning forward, Bill said, "Don't forget to buckle up, and check all your mirrors before backing up, very slowly."

"Yes, Dad." Caroline did not mention that this was not her first time driving. She seemed too happy to be having this moment with her dad. I glanced out the window to note that our friends had disappeared. "So, where should we go?" The perky birthday girl inquired.

"I was thinking The Grill?" Turning, I kept a blank expression, as if this was not part of my plans.

"The Grill?" Caroline shrugged. "I haven't eaten yet. Are you hungry, Dad?"

"Famished, kiddo." Bill glanced at me and I smirked. So, far the plan was working.

~0~

Exiting Caroline's new birthday present, our party of three made our way up to the doors of the Mystic Grill. I opened a door to allow Caroline and Bill, inside first. Making my way behind them, I heard Caroline say: "Are they closed?"

Seconds later, the lights flicked on and Enzo came forward in a waiter's uniform. "_Bonjour_. Party of three! Come! We've been waiting for you!" he called with a flourish of a white napkin and a heavy, fake French accent.

Our friends began to appear from behind tables in costume, twirling and dancing between the tables and chairs. "Be our guest!" They sang as Damon appeared behind Caroline, pushing her into a wheel chair and spinning her around. Elijah came forth with, Kat, Elena, Jeremy, Kol, and Rebekah behind him. They set down plates and glasses before joining the dancing. And out came Nadia in a chandelier costume. Davina followed her big sister, nearly falling over as she tipped her teapot - clad self to the side. Josh and Aiden were a tea cup and plate.

"Happy Birthday, Caroline!" Aiden waved his handle at her. She scooped him up, placing him in her lap. She nuzzled his cheek as Elijah began to recite the offerings for brunch.

"For mademoiselle, we have croissants, bacon, eggs, of many varieties. With cheeses. And without. We have fruit. We have pancakes. We have French toast. We have lattes. We have orange juice. We have other things that the children tried to make..."

Smiling, Caroline leaned into me as I took a seat beside her. "Thank you all. This is just really sweet. Now, sit down, let's eat!"

"Her majesty has declared that we must eat! This is a dare, people! Eat!" Damon hopped onto a chair and pretended to gobble up food, smacking Stefan's hand when Stefan reached for a plate of butter.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline picked up a croissant and took a bite while Aiden tried not to spill OJ on his costume.

Hayley and Bill talked about Bill's work and Hayley's classes while Nadia and Davina got in a food fight and had to be separated by Elijah. The little teapot kicked her legs vigorously as the second act began over the loud speaker: "Shall we dance!" began and I produced a rose for Caroline who beamed at me.

Getting up, we began to dance while our friends ate and talked. "I hope the rest of my birthdays are just like this one!" Caroline enthused. I smiled back as she laid her head on my shoulder. My eyes widened at the thought of the pressure I would be under to create days like today for the next ninety years.

~0~

In the afternoon, Elijah came out of the kitchen, delivering several pizzas. "What about the cake?" Kol called.

"The cake is baking!" Katherine called, coming out of the kitchen with more drinks. We had three more hours before my next big surprise for Caroline.

Kol slunk down in his seat. "This party is becoming lame!"

"Good thing it isn't for you, isn't it!" Kat snapped, setting a drink in front of my brother.

"I asked for a root beer float!" Kol called.

Kat pretended Kol hadn't spoken. She moved to sit down beside Elijah. My poor brother was beginning to look exhausted. He hid a yawn behind a napkin. I truly wished he'd stop with the charade and tell us all about his investments. But I had Caroline to think of today.

Kol was not the only one who had become restless. Bill had begun to check his watch. My heart sunk. If he left before Caroline blew out her candles, her mood would sink. "Excuse me, love," I whispered in Caroline's ear. "I'm going to check on the cake." I slipped out of my seat and headed for the kitchen.

Pushing the door open, I wished I had knocked first. "Damon!" I groaned.

"Shit! Nik! Sorry!" Damon groaned as I turned my back on him and Elena. I'd just seen more than I wanted to for the next decade. "Elijah said the cake wouldn't be done for ten minutes. We though we'd be alone."

"Ten?" Elena cried. "You though you could do that in ten?" Scoffing, she headed past me.

Turning, I shook my head at Damon who shrugged. He leaned over and checked the cake. "Give it two." Standing up, he looked at me. "You and Caroline got any plans for tonight?"

"Not like that!" I nodded at the counter. Then I recalled how amorous Caroline had been that morning.

Damon shook his head at me. "Nothing. Man. Waiting for marriage?"

"Shut it, Damon!" I stalked over and opened the oven with a mitt. Pulling out the cake, I set it on a part of the counter that my friends had not defiled. "Can you check, to see that Mr. Forbes has not left us."

"Sure." Damon sauntered to the doors. "Nope. But he's looking at his watch."

"Right then!" I grabbed a box of candles, and took a deep breath before inserting each one with care. Elijah came in as I began to light them. "Go. Sit down, brother. I can manage." Damon came over to help me carry the cake into the dining room.

"Finally!" Kol cried.

We set the cake down. "Make a wish!" Kat called.

Caroline and I stared at each other as she blew out the sixteen candles. A round of applause began and Bill moved closer to Caroline's side. My heart stopped beating. This would be the moment that blew all of my hard work to bits. And I could not stop it. "Caroline, sweetheart, a word."

Nodding, Caroline walked toward the front doors with her dad. Her happy expression did not diminish, and she even hugged her dad before he left. "Are you alright, love?" I inquired, half-afraid Caroline was trying to hide her disappointment under a cloud of good cheer.

"I'm fine. Dad has to get back home. But I'm going to spend a weekend with him, next month, and he's going to give me a second party. He said you can come, too." She leaned into my side.

"Of course." I pressed a kiss to her lips.

Katherine jumped in. "It's present time! Open mine first!" She grabbed a present that was small in size and stood up rather straight. Caroline's expression matched my own baffled one. Tearing the paper off, Caroline held up a bottle of Heinz ketchup.

"Thanks..." Caroline's smile was frozen on her face.

Kat grinned. "This is the first bottle of ketchup I successfully married," she explained to the rest of the group. "See, Caroline heard I could not do it right-for this job-so she went to the store, and bought, like, thirty bottles. Then she called me, and I had to keep trying until I got the hang of it. It only took five broken bottles, and a ton of red spilled on the floor, but I got it. And that's because of Caroline. That's what kind of friend she is."

By the end of Kat's speech, Caroline had tears in her eyes, and she and Kat hugged. "More presents!" Kat called, grabbing one, and handing it to Caroline.

Caroline tore the wrapping off what looked like a comic book. Tyler stepped forward. "I made the illustrations. Stefan wrote the stories. It's 'The Adventures of Care!' You've got the power to make other people care. And you also have a lasso, like Wonder Woman."

Grinning, Caroline flipped through the book. "This is very cool." Tyler looked pleased and went back to finish his cake.

Rose bought Caroline a scarf from Paris.

Jenna got her tickets for a girl named Taylor Swift's concert. Personally, I had never heard of her.

Matt got her a teddy bear that said: "You're the best!" Davina kept eyeing it. Looked like it might hit be a re-gift pile.

Elijah's gift was a set of world-wide travel guides. "You might need them for your adventures."

Jeremy and Kol brought a large, rectangular present. It turned out to be a giant Hershey bar. "Sharing is caring!" Jer said before Kat dragged him back to his seat.

Rebekah handed Caroline a small gift. Caroline tore it open to reveal a tape. "This is a recording of funny things Nik says when you're not around." My sister laughed as I gave her a dark look.

Enzo offered Caroline another, small gift. She opened it, to find a heart-shaped necklace. My blood boiled and my fists clenched until Bonnie held up the other half of the heart. "This is usually for romantic drivel, but this heart symbolizes your bond as a friend. So, you'll carry a part of each other, in all of your lives." Enzo smiled as Caroline and Bonnie hugged.

Bonnie went next. Her gift was a camera. "To capture all of our new memories together." They wrapped their arms around the other's shoulders as Caroline snapped a pic of them.

Elena came forward. "I wrote you a letter. You should read it in private." Nodding, Caroline gave Elena a long hug as Elena brushed tears off her cheeks.

"My turn!" Damon called, moving between our friends, to get to Caroline. He handed her his gift. She opened it and stared. "It's a portable mic. Because you like to talk. And, now, we'll hear you, whether we want to, or-" Elena elbowed him in the gut.

"Thank you all. So much!" Caroline shook her head. "Today really has been the best birthday I've ever had!"

"And it is far from over!" I said. "Come with me, love!"

Taking Caroline's hand, I led her out to the Town Square. In the middle was a giant ferris wheel. "What is this?" Caroline looked at me, an amused expression on her face.

I shook my head and led her to a seat. She waited for me to sit down, but her brows rose when Damon shot into the seat and pulled the guardrail down. The wheel began to climb before coming to a stop at the top. This was the most dangerous part of the day. Gathering my courage, I climbed the ferris wheel before I came to a stop beside Caroline's seat. Moving down, I grabbed the guardrail to the seat in front of her and Damon. "Caroline Forbes, I dare you to go on a date with me!" I called out.

"Nik, have you lost your mind!" Caroline shouted at me.

"He thinks you like this scene from The Notebook! Say: 'Yes!' before we become a headline in the town paper!" Damon advised.

"Yes!" Caroline shouted.

Sighing, I slid into the seat and the wheel went down. When Caroline got off, she did not look pleased. "Klaus Mikaelson, I could kill you for that!"

"Caroline!" I shouted as she stormed off.

"Don't follow me!" Caroline shouted back. It looked like I was the one who ruined her perfect day...

~0~

That night I stood in a suit made for prom. All of our friends who were high school and above age were also dressed for the occasion. The lights were turned down low. Bottles of champagne chilled in the Mystic Falls gym. "She'll come," Damon told me as Elena stood next to him in a blue dress, soberly.

Just as Damon spoke, Caroline came in a red, velvet dress. It hugged her curves and fell at thigh length. My body responded as she made her way toward me, clutching her purse. "Hi, Klaus," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"What made you come back?" I asked, taking her hand.

"My mom told me how much effort you took to make this happen. We had a good talk. And she showed me the ceiling." A smile appeared on her face. "You really snuck in my room, every day, for a year?"

I nodded as she slid her arms around my neck. "Rebekah had to levitate me. And she dropped me. A few times." Caroline was referring to my placing glow-in-the-dark stickers on her ceiling to capture the likenesses of all of our Dare Club members. "You like it?"

"No." Caroline shook her head. "I LOVE it!"

We danced for the next two hours until Elijah had fallen asleep and Bonnie got on stage to sing: "Isn't she lovely! Isn't she wonderful!"

This was followed by Caroline and Bonnie singing: "Time after time!"

Speaking of time, I had not given Caroline her gift. "Thank you for coming!" Caroline said as her guests began to depart.

"Love!" I held out a hand and she followed me out to the hallway. Undoing my jacket, I removed a rolled piece of paper. She tugged the ribbon free and unrolled it. "Nik..." Her eyes came up to meet mine and she kissed me on the lips for a long time. "No one will ever make me feel more beautiful than I am in your eyes," she said. Her hand went to mine, and she led me to the back door.

We walked out to the football field. Outside Someone had laid blankets, pillows, placed insulated candles and strewn rose petals about. My mouth opened, and I turned to find Caroline's dress rested at her feet. Stepping over it, she made her way to me in a little bit of black lace and satin undergarments. Her lips pursed. Her hands went into my curls and she pulled my mouth to hers.

For a moment, I could not remember what to do next. Caroline did not seem to have the same problem as her lips moved to my neck. Her fingers pulled my tie off. Her hands rushed my jacket to the grass. Pulling back, she looked at me as she undid my shirt. "I love you, Nik. I want to spend my life with you."

No longer frozen, I picked Caroline up and laid her down on the blankets. "I will never leave your side, Caroline." She smiled before drawing my lips back to hers.

~0~

In the early morning light, I woke up and found Caroline waking up, too. She turned to nuzzle my nose. "Good thing Kat helped me plan last night," Caroline whispered to me.

"Yes?" My brows rose.

Reaching under one of the pillows, Caroline pulled out another condom before rolling on top of me. "She's bought a stock-pile of these after Davina . .." She kissed me at the same time that I was thinking that we needed to go before Tyler and the rest of the football team showed up for morning practice. And we would, after using Kat's present...

_**Caroline's Birthday Playlist:**_

_**Mash-up songs: "Wannabe," by the Spice Girls, and "I've Had the Time of My Life," by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes**_

_**"Be our Guest," by Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach**_

_**"Shall We Dance?" Richard Rogers (of Rogers and Hammerstien)**_

_**"Isn't she lovely?" by Stevie Wonder**_

**"Time After Time," by Cyndi Lauper**

**Thank you for reading, faving, fillowing, and reviewing. :)**

**Be safe,**

**-J**


	14. Chapter 14

**Note: The role of Alaric Saltzman will be played by Misha Collins, for me, anyway.**

**Hello, my lovely readers. We've got some Dare Club antics for the first Friendsgiving celebration! On with the show...**

Ch. 14 Stuff the Turkey, Not Your Brother!

Thanksgiving was not one of my favorite holidays. Usually, someone picked a fight with a family member. Someone else would end up crying. Another would eat too much-and that person would heave on a second person's new attire. Yes, Thanksgiving was a grand holiday, in theory... But my intention to celebrate this holiday had little to do with me: It had much to do with Caroline Forbes. And, for Caroline, this year meant more than Thanksgivings to-date. This year would begin a new tradition that we would celebrate every year to come...

Walking into the Salvatores' kitchen before my body fully understood that it was meant to be awake; I blinked at the sight before me. "Good morning, Damon. Caroline, love, what are you up to?" Edging ever nearer, I found that Caroline was scanning a clipboard. My hand went up to smother a yawn.

Caroline glanced at me and my hand went into my hair. I offered her a smile and her nose wrinkled as she grinned back up at me. "Welcome to our first Friendsgiving prep." She tapped the clipboard with a pen.

Damon groaned. "You mean Hellsgiving!" He picked up a apron and waved it at me. "Hope you like pansies."

My friend did not give me a moment to think before he tossed the apron at me. Picking up one with a giant, smiling cartoon turkey; Damon pulled it over his head. "Sorry if you get stuck with something in pastel." He turned his smirk at Enzo.

Shrugging, Enzo seemed less than perturbed. "Lavender brings out my eyes." He batted his lashes at Damon who punched his shoulder and they began to laugh.

A loud snore came from the kitchen table. My eyes traveled in that direction, to take in Stefan Salvatore. Poor boy had a bit of drool on his chin. And me, without my camera. Oh, well, I would just have to make a sketch for my darling baby sister, later.

"Ahem!" Caroline's loud cough made us all focus on her. She was still tapping her clipboard. Her pretty, blue eyes had begun to take on that fervent fire that made me fall in love with her, and also scared people. "Stefan, wake up!" she snapped.

Head popping up, Stefan's gaze traveled the room. "Huh? What? I'm awake!"

Damon snickered. "Stef, got a bit of something on your chin." Running his hand under his own chin, Damon smirked at Stefan's mortified look. "Right!" His focus moved to Caroline. "Your were saying?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes before offering all of us a tight smile. "All of you have specific duties." Eyes flicking down to the paper, she began to recite said duties: "Damon. Nik. I have you both on turkey duty."

Sliding off the counter and pointing at me; Damon wiggled his index finger. "Time to play with our bird." Enzo let out a laugh which earned him a glare from me and Caroline. Still chuckling, Enzo shrugged and looked to Caroline.

With an eyeroll, Caroline added. "Enzo. You and Marcel are on pie duty."

"Yes, ma'am." Enzo saluted her and turned to Marcel. They clapped hands before Enzo took a sheet that Caroline extended to him.

Marcel looked at the list. "Three pies? How many people are we feeding?"

Caroline flipped through multiple pieces of paper on her clipboard. After a moment she said, "Twenty-three. Plus, four children under four." She smiled.

I looked to Damon. "It would seem that we should begin prepping the turkey before the mob arrives."

"Seems so," Damon mused. But he did not look worried as he went to open the fridge.

Caroline continued with the kitchen duty list. "Tyler and Matt will be on potatoes-when they show up." There was an edge to her voice on that last bit. Her eyes moved to take in Stefan. The boy held his head aloft with one hand as his eyelids dipped downward. "Stefan!" Caroline snapped. His head jerked upward. "You're making the cranberry sauce. Unless you would prefer to switch with Bekah and work on the napkins?"

"Cranberry sauce?" Stefan slid off the chair. "No biggie. Can opener. Bowl. Presto. Cranberries!" His smile fell as Caroline stated at him with an evil look.

"Fresh cranberries!" Caroline replied through her teeth. "This is an important Friendsgiving-"

"Why?" Damon interrupted. He tugged the turkey out and hauled it over to the counter, still staring at Caroline whose evil look had become open-mouthed horror.

Pointing a finger at the turkey, Caroline inhaled, and shuddered. "Is that... Damon Salvatore... Tell me that turkey is NOT frozen!" she cried, her voice at a pitch that would make the family pets cover their ears.

"Caroline, darling-" I began, moving to place my hands on her shoulders. Unfortunately, Damon had to answer.

"Yeah. No big deal. Last year's was to. Here's the trick. You pop it in the microwave. It'll defrost in no time." Damon picked up the turkey and head for the sink while Caroline began to shake with anger. This would not end well.

At that moment, Tyler and Matt came in. "Hey, Care!" Tyler called. "We're here. Where do ya want us?"

"Ahhh!" Caroline screamed, throwing her clipboard at her feet and kicked it across the room.

Tyler's eyes went wide. He looked to Matt who shook his head. Tyler looked to rest of us. "Something I said?" Tyler whispered, frowning.

No one answered Tyler's question and Caroline went to sit in the kitchen chair, her head in her hands. Instead, Stefan spoke with raised brows. "Is that why I kept puking for the ENTIRE next day?" Now, he glared at Damon. "You tried to kill me, YOU IDIOT!"

Damon scoffed. "I offered to call the Chinese take-out place. But, NO, you had to have turkey and dressing." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to kil-" Stefan rushed at his brother, but Enzo caught him around the waist and spun him into Matt.

Shaking his head, Enzo waved at Caroline. "She's trying to do something nice for us. Why don't we get on with it?" He shook his head at the Salvatores.

"Sorry, Caroline." Stefan muttered. "Can you show me how to make the cranberry sauce?"

Caroline lifted tear-filled eyes. "What's the point? We don't have a turkey!" She rolled her eyes. "And I was trying to do this because of what happened to the Gilbe-"

"Katherine!" Marcel cried out, loudly. All eyes went to Katherine who came marching into the room in a new dress and heels. Her hair was done and her makeup flawless. It looked like she had shown up for a date, not a friend-event. "You look nice."

Katherine scoffed. "I know." Turning to Caroline, Kat hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "Do you know how to deal with a turkey?"

Blinking, Caroline's lower lip stopped wobbling. "I thought you were eating here?"

Eyes widening, Kat let out a laugh. "You're right. This is what parenting does to you. Oh, well. Who wants an extra turkey?" She waved her fingers and smirked as Jeremy came into the room with a raw turkey in a pan.

Hopping to her feet, Caroline moved to inspect the turkey. "It's thawed?"

"Uh-huh." Kat nodded with a bored look. Examining her fingernails, she said, "Yes. Elijah left me instructions on how to make sure it would thaw. But the rest of it...seasoning, and stuffing...it felt very hands-on. And no way would I be doing that. Not with these babies!" She showed us her nails.

Caroline grinned. "You know what, Katherine, you should go in the great room. Relax. You've done plenty."

"Great. Let me know when dinner is ready!" Kat called, leaving the room.

A grunt made us look at Jeremy. "Can I put this thing down, now?" he asked, his hands shaking.

"Yes!" Caroline stared at the bird with fervor. "Kol's working on decorations. Why don't you help him?"

Jeremy groaned. "More work?" He trudged off.

"Alright." Caroline sighed, relaxing. "Tyler. Matt. I need you on potato duty." She pulled out a sheet and handed it to Matt.

"That's a lot of potatoes." Matt whistled.

Tyler took the list. "How bad can it be-Geez, Caroline, are we expecting an army?"

"No. Just most if the club members." Caroline turned back to me and Damon. "Okay. Now, it's turkey time."

"Caroline-" Stefan began.

"I know." Caroline moved to open the fridge. "Let me grab the cranberries-"

"Care?" Damon interrupted. "Are you turkey-napping?"

Whirling around, Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "I am not stealing! They brought the turkey of their own free will!"

"Did someone say: Turkey?" Alaric Saltzman came into the kitchen with a bag. "Just arrived."

"What?" Caroline's brows rose and her lips pursed.

"Cool. Caroline's feeding the army anyway." Tyler shrugged, opening a bag of potatoes.

"Ric, do you know how to make cranberry sauce?" Stefan asked.

Alaric looked confused. "Jenna said you would need a turkey..."

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Sage called as she and Finn came into the room. "I brought us libations. And Finn brought you poultry!" She sat down in the chair that seemed to be getting a lot of action, placing a bottle of wine on the table as Finn came in with a turkey in a pan. "Niklaus, please, pre-heat the oven for me."

"Oh, no, man!" Alaric moved in front of the oven with his turkey. "There is only room for ONE turkey in this oven! And that turkey is MINE!"

Caroline was beginning to get that panicked look in her eye, again. "THREE turkeys?"

"Better than Damon's food-poison-surprise," Stefan grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh, come on, Stef! One time!" Damon cried. He took his apron off. "And, Caroline, since it looks like you've got turkeys to choose from; I think Nik and I are wasted here." He moved to hook an arm around my shoulders. "Let's go check out a game?" He pulled me in the direction of the doorway when Caroline darted in front of us. She placed her arms outward. "No one leaves this kitchen until this situation is figured out!" Her eyes were alight in a way that made me and Damon gulp.

Caroline inhaled. Opening her mouth, she was about to speak when Finn beat her to the punch: "I believe this is a matter of deciding which of us has the superior turkey?" He sniffed and look down his nose at Alaric's turkey. "Yours has smaller breasts. I could hardly feed Bekah on that bit of meat."

"Yeah?" Alaric glared at Finn's turkey. "Well, your smells like Boston Market!"

Finn's eyes rounded. "You take that back, this instant, Saltzman!"

Damon nudged me with his elbow. "Guess we get dinner and a show."

Rolling my eyes, I looked to Caroline who looked weary. "There are other ovens. Katherine's will go in this one. Finn. Alaric. Come with me." It looked like Damon and I were still on turkey duty.

"Can someone, PLEASE, help me with the cranberry sauce?" Stefan cried.

Sage nodded. "You open a can and-" Everyone let out a groan in reply.

~0~

An hour later. Caroline had returned to don an apron and begin making bread rolls from scratch while bossing everyone else around. I was probably one of the only people who didn't mind.

"Caroline, we've got a problem!" Marcel said.

"Yes?" Caroline wiped flour on her forehead with the back of her hand.

"There are no pecans. For the pie." Marcel waved at the open cabinet doors.

Sighing, Caroline gave Damon a dark look. "Of course not." She moved to the fridge and opened it. "Well, we need some more supplies, anyway. Does anyone want to make a run to the grocery?" Damon held up his hand. "Okay, Damon."

Caroline grabbed her clipboard and began to make a list. Moving to lean on the counter next me, Damon nudged my shoulder. "Dare you to come with me! Lots of fun with two-thirds of Mystic Falls trying to grab the last bag of chips."

I shrugged. "Bit of fresh air would be nice."

"Taking me with you!" Tyler whispered.

"Those potatoes won't boil themselves, Tyler!" Caroline called.

"Bye!" Damon wiggled his fingers, pulling me behind him.

~0~

Damon pulled his Camaro into the parking lot of the Mystic Falls Market. One of joys of small towns would be the limited selection, or, in this case, having one grocery store for an entire town's worth of residents. For his part, Damon did not seem bothered. I, on the other hand, was a bit more reluctant to join the frenzied, and frayed shoppers.

"Come on, Nik! Not afraid of the holiday shoppers, are you?" Damon taunted me.

Narrowing my eyes, I strode forward. "That is what elbows were made for."

A wide grin formed on Damon's face. He threw an arm around my shoulders. "I dare you to snag any of Caroline's list from other carts!"

"I dare you to go down the dairy aisle!"

"Eat a bag of chips before checking out!"

"Kiss an elf!"

"Lick the floor!"

"Buy another turkey!"

"Bring a can of cranberry sauce!"

"Pick up a box of Christmas cookies!"

Our dares were becoming absurd as we made our way closer to the store itself. "Is that Elena?" I questioned Damon. His head whirled and he stared at the back of the brunette's head.

"Lena?" Damon called. At first, she did not move. "E-len-a!" Damon shouted through cupped hands , although we were only seven feet away.

Turning, Elena's eyes rounded. "Hey!" she tucked her hair behind her ear. "What are you guys doing here?"

We moved to stand in front of her. "Why are you here?" Damon replied.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Katherine told me to pick some stuff up." Holding up a list, she waved it with a glum look. "But I just can't go in by myself. This is something I would have done with..." Her eyes went to the parking lot asphalt.

"Well, you're not alone today." I held out a hand. Elena looked at it before taking it. "You're amongst friends. Now, let's sort this list," I held up Caroline's, "and Damon has dares for us to complete."

"Yeah?" Elena turned to stare at Damon.

Damon smirked. "Last one in the store has to do the dishes tonight!"

"No!" Elena and I shouted, running after Damon.

Somehow Elena skidded into the sliding doors ahead of me and Damon and I tried to squeeze in together. "You're both on dish duty!" Elena shouted at us, pointing her fingers at us.

"Lena, baby. Can you get us a cart?" Damon asked sweetly as he popped out of the doors and I fell on the floor.

Elena nodded. She came back with a cart. Damon nodded at me and we walked over. Each of us grabbed Elena by an elbow and lifted her into the cart. "Hey!" Elena cried. Damon grinned and patted her on the head. She made a swipe at his face, with her nails, and I went off to get another cart.

Soon, we were making our way through the aisles. Damon had to venture into the dairy aisle while I looked for chips. When one man had his back turned, I snagged three of his bags and then grabbed a few more from a woman who had too much hairy spray in her hair. And off I went.

"Milk. Eggs. Butter. Sour cream. And an elf!" Damon pointed at Elena and I had no idea how she ended up in the costume, but it made me smile. Damon leaned over to kiss his elf when a couple yelled: "They're the ones who stole our butter!"

"Go!" Damon cried. We hurried away and Elena grabbed a couple of trays of assorted cheeses off a table.

"Hey! Is that Tom Cruise!" Damon asked a woman handing out samples of wine. He grabbed three cups and then took off.

Elena began to giggle as we stopped in a snack aisle. Damon tossed packages of Christmas cookies haphazardly into his cart. And his girlfriend opened a package and began to eat them. I looked to Damon and we began to laugh, too. So far, we had everything we needed, plus a drunken elf.

"Don't forget to lick the floor!" Damon told me.

Rolling my eyes, I dropped to for and licked it. "You will pay for that, Damon Salvatore!" I informed my friend.

Damon did not seem worried as he moved his cart into a self-check out lane. I followed him and we hurried to finish up while people with five items complained about our much more than five. All the bags in our carts, we went into the parking lot. Damon helped Elena out of the cart and she slid into the passenger seat. This left me in the back.

"Oh! Oh!" Elena cried, smacking Damon's arm. "I promised to pick Bonnie up!" She gave her boyfriend a wide-eyed look. "I don't think I can drive!"

"Nope." Damon shook his head. "One witch, coming up."

~0~

Damon parked outside of the Bennetts.' Bonnie came to the door with a bag on her shoulder, and a baby in her arms. "Elena, what are you wearing?" she asked, brows rising.

Elena grinned and twirled. "Klaus dared Damon to kiss an elf! So, elf I am! Why do you have my niece?" Bending over, Elena peered at Davina who scowled at her with a pout.

"Kat dropped the girls off. This one has an earache." Bonnie inclined her head towards Davina who took hold of Bonnie's ear and gave a tug. "And she wants me to feel sympathy pain."

Nadia came running to the door. "Aunt Elena! You're an elf! Do you work for Santa?" The little girl swayed with her hands laced behind her back and a pleased look on her face.

"Nope. Lena's just playing dress-up, for me." Damon's words made Nadia's lower lip pucker outward.

"But Elena does know the special mailbox to send all of your mail to Santa," I added.

"Really?" Nadia grinned up at me.

"Grams, we're leaving!" Bonnie called.

Shelia Bennett came to the door. "Don't stay up too late." She hugged her granddaughter, evaded Davina's grasping hand, and offered the rest of us an amused look. "Elena Gilbert, you do look festive."

Elena grinned. "Have a happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Bennett."

"You, too." Shelia went back inside and closed the door.

We headed back to Damon's car. "Should we have invited Grams to dinner?" Elena asked, looking at Bonnie.

Bonnie shook her head. "No. Grams is having some of her coven members over for their own celebrations."

"What's with the bag?" Damon asked, opening his door and leaned against the roof.

"Oh?" Bonnie's cheeks flushed. "I'm sleeping over at Caroline's." I knew this wasn't true. Elena looked at Bonnie and shook her head with a grin.

"You and Enzo-" Elena began.

Bonnie shot Elena a long look. "Shut it, Lena. Unless you want me to send you to the North Pole!"

"I want to go!" Nadia cried, jumping up and down.

We all laughed before getting into the car.

~0~

"Where have you been!" Caroline shouted the moment we were in the door. Davina began to cry. She buried her face in my shirt and let out wet cries that soaked it. Eyes softening, Caroline sighed. "Sorry! This is just stressful." Placing her hands on her hips, she looked at Elena. "Wrong holiday."

"Not for some of us." Damon grinned and grabbed Elena's butt. She smacked his arm, but looked happy.

"Tell me you have food!" Jeremy came down the stairs with Kol. They both looked more ready for bed rather than for dinner. "Lights are up. Dinning room has all of its stuffed birds and cards and crap." Jeremy said with a yawn.

Kol sat down on the bottom step. "So hungry." This was followed by his falling backwards and letting out a loud snore.

Sage came down the hall. "Got grub?" she asked, leaning against a wall. "And where is Finn?"

"Finn's basting his bird," Caroline said.

Sage smirked. "Not today."

"Oh, my God!" Caroline let out a surprised laugh. "Never tell me what that means!"

Danon held up a hand. "I think it means-"

"Who's ready to party!" Mason Lockwood came in behind us. He held a bag.

Eyes going wide, Caroline held up her hands. "Tell me that is not another turkey!"

Mason shook his head. "Nope. Beer."

"Goody!" Elena held out hand, "Beer me!"

"No, no!" Damon shook his hand. He took Elena's hand. "You have had enough for one night!"

"But I want beer!" Elena complained as Damon picked her up and carried her away.

Caroline looked to me and I shrugged. "The grocery store was stressful."

"Beer!" Davina said.

"No!" I replied. She grabbed my ear and gave it a vicious tug. "How about we find your mommy?" I carried the girl towards the great room. Katherine was not there. Matt and Tyler were. They cheered on a football team. "What happened to the potatoes?" I asked them.

Matt glanced at me. "Caroline took over. Guess she didn't like what we were doing to them."

"Some people like the skins on the mashed potatoes." Tyler stared at the TV and then jumped to his feet. "Touchdown!"

Davina wailed and rocked in my arms. "I know. I know. It's a stressful day." I rubbed her back and carried her into the living room.

Katherine sat at the table next to Elijah. She was smiling and did not look up when I came in. "Kat, Davina needs you."

"Mommy!" Nadia appeared and went running to climb into Kat's arms. "Auntie Lena's an elf. And Bonnie's sending her to the North Pal." She turned her face to grin up at her mother.

Davina's lips quivered and she grumbled. Elijah got up and held out his arms. "Give her to me." She allowed him to take her. Her face buried in his shirt. "It's alright, little one. Go to sleep." He began to pace the floor while Kat watched him, stroking Nadia's curls.

Turning, I left the dinning room and went into the kitchen. Bonnie had beat me there. She pulled out a pie while Enzo stirred mashed potatoes. "Klaus, could you get the turkey?" Marcel called. He picked up the bowl of cranberry sauce. Stefan had gone back to sleep. He laid, curled up in a corner.

Damon and a giggling Elena came in. They began to put things in the fridge. Laughter came from that area as the bags were unloaded.

"Everyone, is dinner almost done?" Caroline said as I pulled out a turkey.

"Yes!" I told her. She grinned at me as I set the bird in the stovetop.

"Good!" Caroline clapped her hands and took her apron off. "I'll let everyone know."

Picking the turkey back up, I set it on a serving platter and carried it into the dinning room. Marcel, Enzo, and Bonnie, were right behind me. Our friends began to take their seats. Then a sound came from the hallway.

"What is that?" Caroline and I made our way into the hallway to find twenty boys coming down the hall.

"Something smells good," one of them said as Caroline and I stared at each other.

"What's going on?" Caroline hissed as Damon came out to join us. "I thought the school was shut down for the holiday?"

Before I could answer, my father appeared. "Niklaus, what are you doing here?"

Caroline jumped in. "We thought the school was closed. We're having Friendsgiving."

"What?" Father looked at Caroline.

"Thanksgiving. For friends." Damon looked at my father.

"Oh. Well. I will have to go and make sure the boys are feed. The highway was shut down. So, we could not make it to the retreat, this year. There should be things for sandwiches," he muttered to himself. "Boys, go to the great room. I will return, briefly." He started to go past us.

I looked at Caroline. "We have three turkeys. Plenty for them, too. And we can make some more pies."

Father turned to stare at us. Caroline smiled. "Come on, kids!" She waved for the boys to follow her. I went in and began to hand out plates.

There weren't enough seats at the table. Some of us had to sit in the great room. This is how Damon, Elena, Bonnie, Enzo, Stefan, Rebekah, Caroline, and I, ended up having one of our favorite Friendsgiving meals on the floor of the great room. As it turns out, there really was enough food for everyone. And more than enough to be thankful for.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following, and reviewing. :)**

**Be safe,**

**-J**


End file.
